- $32.6 million in McGowan Government's 2023-24 State Budget to protect WA's livestock industries from increasing biosecurity threats.
- Increased funding for emergency animal disease preparedness and electronic identification (eID) system for sheep and goats
The McGowan Government has bolstered the State's biosecurity defences with a new $32.6 million budget investment to protect Western Australia's livestock industries from increasing animal disease threats.
The boost in biosecurity funding addresses the ever-increasing threat of serious livestock diseases from nearby countries, like foot and mouth disease and lumpy skin disease, which could decimate WA's valuable livestock industries and food security.
The 2023-24 State Budget will include $10.4 million to enhance WA's ability to respond to an animal disease outbreak by increasing field personnel and improving veterinary pathology, epidemiology and diagnostic testing capability and capacity, alongside delivering emergency training and exercises.
The funding will create up to 14 new full time equivalent biosecurity jobs at the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, strengthening the State's livestock biosecurity and emergency response teams.
A further $22.2 million will assist industry transition to the mandatory sheep and goat electronic identification system (eID) by 1 January 2025 to reinforce national traceability, which is key to a rapid and efficient biosecurity or food safety response.
The package provides additional funding for the Tag Incentive Payment to assist sheep and goat producers to make the move to the new system, which provides a lifetime record of each individual animal's movements.
This investment builds on the $3.4 million previously provided by the McGowan Government earlier this year to launch the Tag Incentive Payment discount scheme, which has already seen more than 400,000 blue tags distributed to WA producers. It brings the State Government's total investment to support the adoption of eIDs in WA to $25.6 million.
The new funding will also support upgrades to supply chain infrastructure and eID scanning equipment so the system is fully tested and ready to commence operation.
The 2023-24 State Budget builds on previous biosecurity investments to protect the primary industries, environment and regional communities from plant and animal pests and disease.
As stated by Agriculture and Food Minister Jackie Jarvis:
"It is important for Western Australia to be well equipped with the resources, expertise and capacity to detect and respond to the threat of an emergency animal disease.
"An emergency animal disease outbreak would result in the loss of international markets and animal production - impacting the whole supply chain, from producers through to regional communities.
"This $32.6 million of new funding builds on the McGowan Government's previous budget commitments to biosecurity.
"It is important we keep continuing to build capacity and capability to protect and sustain our primary industries."
