Ahead of the NSW state election on 25 March 2023, the NSW Government caretaker period has commenced. Limited updates will be made to this website during this period.
Biosecurity is good for business
Practicing good biosecurity means taking action to protect your property and business from the negative impacts of pests, diseases, weeds and contaminants.
Being biosecure will help:
Everyday farming practices are all part of being biosecure. This includes:
The essentials
There are certain actions a producer MUST legally take to be biosecure. These are detailed in the Biosecurity Act 2015 and supporting legislation.
The laws cover things that are likely to have the biggest impact on our economy, environment or community. They include rules around:
Visit the Biosecurity policies and procedures page for more.
Your general biosecurity duty
As well as prescribing the rules for high risk biosecurity matter, the Biosecurity Act 2015 includes a biosecurity duty for primary producers and everyone who deals with biosecurity matter.
This means that all tiers of government, industry and the people of NSW need to work together to protect the economy, environment and community from the negative impacts of pests, diseases, weeds and contaminants.
This means primary producers and land managers need to:
Land managers and primary producers are supported in managing biosecurity by NSW Department of Primary Industries, Local Land Services, other public and private land managers, community members and peak industry bodies.
Visit the General biosecurity duty page for more information.
Have a plan
The trick to managing biosecurity is that every farm will have different challenges and risks to manage based on its location, seasonal conditions, what is being produced, and its visitor profile.
From 1 August 2019, people entering areas where a Biosecurity Management Plan applies must comply with the measures outlined in the plan. Failure to comply with these arrangements when dealing with biosecurity matter, such as animals or produce, may be an offence under the Biosecurity Act 2015. Penalties can include an on the spot fine of $1000 or a court ordered fine of $220,000 for individuals and $440,000 for corporations.
A farm biosecurity plan can help you to identify the risks on your farm and prioritise the biosecurity practices relevant to those risks.
Information on how to develop a farm management plan can be found at Farm Biosecurity.