Improving biosecurity and climate preparedness on the Atherton Tablelands.

Last month eastAUSmilk started the first of their Dairy Resilience Workshops on the Atherton Tablelands with a meeting held on the Walmsley’s farm in Upper Barron, FNQ. This round of workshops is responding to the current climate and biosecurity environment looking at improving on farm preparedness to these risks.

Kicking off the workshop Rachel Davis from the Bureau of Meteorology presented the products available by the Bureau including long range Seasonal Outlooks for the region, weather forecasting and the Climate Services for Agriculture Program. Rachel gave helpful tips and tricks around interpreting the Bureau’s weather app and future weather forecasts on their website which can help inform decisions and preparation activities for the upcoming disaster season. We are looking at a third La Nina in a row, which increases the likelihood of flood events in the coming months.

Tom Couston from the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) veterinarian team had a chat about biosecurity preparedness in the case of and Emergency Animal Disease (EAD) such as Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) or Lumpy Skin (LSD). He provided an in-depth overview on the current movement of FMD and LSD throughout Indonesia and the Australian Government’s efforts at the border. Farmers were able to broaden their understanding of their roles, responsibilities and what would potentially happen during a National Livestock Stand Still and take the opportunity to update their Biosecurity Plans.

Kylie Pickering a DAF Biosecurity Officer touched on the requirements for a Registerable Biosecurity Entity (RBE), how to check registrations and update contact information in the case of an EAD.

These events are being delivered through the Farm Business Resilience Program which aims to build the strategic management capacity of farmers to prepare for and manage business and climate risks. Similar workshops are planned for the South-East Queensland corner for the new year, stay tuned for dates and locations.

Jade Chan – eastAUSmilk Project Officer