The McGowan Government has announced a $32.6 million investment to boost Western Australia’s (WA) livestock industry’s biosecurity defences.
The increased spending for biosecurity addresses the growing threat of deadly livestock diseases from neighbouring nations, such as foot and mouth disease and lumpy skin disease, which may damage WA’s key livestock sectors and food security.
“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,” Agriculture and Food Minister Jackie Jarvis said.
According to Minister Jarvis, an outbreak of an emergency animal disease would result in the loss of international markets and animal output, affecting the entire supply chain, from producers to regional communities.
The 2023–24 State Budget includes $10.4 million to improve WA’s ability to respond to an animal disease epidemic by increasing field workers, boosting veterinary pathology, epidemiology, and diagnostic testing capability and capacity, and offering emergency training and exercises.
The funding will support the creation of up to 14 additional full-time equivalent biosecurity roles at the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, bolstering the State’s livestock biosecurity and emergency response teams.
A further $22.2 million will be allocated to help the industry transition to the mandatory sheep and goat electronic identification system (eID) by 1 January 2025, to strengthen national traceability, which is critical for a quick and efficient biosecurity or food safety response.
The package includes additional funds for the Tag Incentive Payment, which will help sheep and goat producers transition to the new system, which will offer a lifelong record of each animal’s movements.
“This $32.6 million of new funding builds on the McGowan Government’s previous budget commitments to biosecurity,” Minister Jarvis added.
This investment expands on the $3.4 million that the WA Government set aside earlier this year to launch the Tag Incentive Payment discount scheme, which has already led to the distribution of nearly 400,000 blue tags to WA growers. It extends the State Government’s total contribution in WA to $25.6 million to support the adoption of eIDs.
The additional investment will also help to enhance supply chain infrastructure and eID scanning equipment so that the system is fully tested and commence operation.
The 2023–24 State Budget expands on prior biosecurity expenditures to safeguard primary industries, the environment, and regional communities from plant and animal pests and diseases.
