Richard Smith, Dairy Extension Officer
With many farmers purchasing more fodder than usual, it's a timely reminder about the increased risks of introducing weeds to your property.
There are key steps that farmers should follow to minimise the risk of introducing and spreading unwanted weeds and pests.
To minimise the risk of these weeds and pests establishing across your farm, make sure all purchased fodder is fed in a designated containment area, feedpad or sacrifice paddock, which has been sited to mitigate risks.
Feeding out in restricted areas allows for better observation of any new plants geminating and enables quick eradication and control of any weeds or pests that might emerge, therefore reducing the risk of these weeds and pests becoming established in the area.
Ongoing drought conditions are creating significant challenges for Victoria's livestock industry, particularly a critical shortage of fodder, with farmers needing to look interstate to source supply.
Agriculture Victoria is providing a free and tailored service to suppliers, transporters and farmers to help them to efficiently navigate the permit requirements to bring feed into Victoria while managing biosecurity risks.
When purchasing feed, famers are encouraged to request a Commodity Vendor Declaration with every load. Commodity Vendor Declarations contain background information about the fodder source, including whether it has been sprayed or treated with chemical that is still within a withholding period (WHP), export slaughter interval (ESI) or export animal feed interval (EAFI).
Permit applications for fodder are being prioritised by Agriculture Victoria to allow for timely fodder movement. To ensure that fodder movement occurs, once a Plant Biosecurity Permit is applied for, Agriculture Victoria will contact the farmer within 2 working days to discuss and assess the specifics of their import request.
A plant biosecurity permit will be issued free of charge for fodder movement. If an inspection of fodder by Agriculture Victoria is required on its arrival to Victoria (which will be stipulated as a permit condition), the cost of this inspection will also be waived.
