Twenty-one projects delivered by six Victorian organisations will receive grant funding to prevent, monitor and control pests and diseases for the cattle, sheep and goat, swine and honeybee industries.
Agriculture Victoria acting executive director Angela Brierley said Agriculture Victoria worked closely with the livestock compensation advisory committees in the administration of the Livestock Biosecurity Fund Grants program.
The grants are funded from the four Livestock Compensation Funds — cattle, sheep and goat, swine and honeybee industries — with duties and registration fees collected reinvested back into industry.
“The committees were looking for projects that provide innovative solutions, use emerging technologies and resolve livestock biosecurity issues,” Ms Brierley said.
The VFF will receive an additional $365,000 from the Sheep and Goat Compensation Fund to support the popular producer-led Stock Sense Livestock program to December 2024. This helps Victorian livestock producers adopt animal health and production practices that improve animal welfare and Victoria’s biosecurity status.
South-west saleyard facility CRLX will receive $45,000 for an enhanced traceability initiative that will provide surveillance and early detection of all untracked cattle movements throughout the facility. CRLX has 25,000 head of cattle each year passing through the facility for sales, regional and interstate travel and exports.
Funded government projects include trials to improve outcomes during a foot and mouth disease incursion, Significant Disease Investigation programs, community pig control and surveillance, and the prevention of anthrax.
Other grant recipients include Victorian Apiarist Association, University of Melbourne and Federation University Australia.
Cattle Compensation Advisory Committee chair and Nagambie producer Ron Harris said the funding helped industry meet emerging challenges at a time of significant biosecurity risks and threats.
“A great initiative that continues to be funded is the allocation of a further $5.6 million to support the continuation of subsidies for the National Livestock Identification System tags for both sheep and cattle — greatly reducing the costs of tags for producers,” Mr Harris said.
“This subsidy, along with the Agriculture Victoria tendering process, has led to Victorian producers having the cheapest cattle tags in Australia.”
For more information and the full list of successful recipients, visit: agriculture.vic.gov.au/livestockbiosecurityfunds
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