East Gippsland Shire Council has moved to reassure the region’s farmers that it has been proactively preparing for any impacts related to the overseas spate of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD).

Agriculture Victoria Officers recently briefed Council on the risk and effects FMD could have on the farming industry across Victoria.

Mayor Cr Mark Reeves said Council manages the East Gippsland Livestock Exchange and annually reviews and updates its Livestock Standstill Plan as part of its annual auditing process.

“The East Gippsland Livestock Exchange prides itself on its biosecurity practices and has been proactive in preparation for any outbreak related to FMD,” Cr Reeves said.

“The facility has a saleyard standstill plan and all agents who sell through the yards have been briefed on its detail. Staff are in the process of sourcing equipment such as foot baths and PPE to ensure they are fully resourced if an outbreak occurs.

“We understand the key to our regions biosecurity is livestock traceability; all livestock that are sold or go through our yards in transit are traceable via the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS),” Cr Reeves continued.

“This ensures the facility is, and remains, one of the safest and most bio-secure facilities in the region. We’re also encouraging all farmers remain vigilant in their NLIS practices and ensure their farm biosecurity plans are up to date.

“We all need to make sure we’re prepared to take the appropriate action when required to protect our livestock industry from an outbreak,” Cr Reeves concluded.  

For more information about Foot and Mouth Disease and the precautions you can take, please visit the Agriculture Victoria website.

For upcoming webinars AgVic webinars on the matter, visit their events page.

Did you know?

• Victoria is the largest producer of food and fibre products in Australia, with a gross value of agricultural production of more $15.9 billion per annum.

• Victoria’s livestock industries have a high dependence on export markets, with 70 percent of livestock products exported.

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Media Enquiries: Communications Team – (03) 5153 9500

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