Victoria’s livestock industries will benefit from $8.1 million from the Livestock Biosecurity Fund Grants program, to further strengthen the state’s biosecurity.
21 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 that Agriculture Victoria works closely with the livestock compensation advisory committees in the administration of the Livestock Biosecurity Fund Grants program.
“Each application is reviewed by the relevant advisory committee who then make recommendations to the Minister for Agriculture. This demonstrates the collaboration and shared responsibility between government and industry in biosecurity,” said Ms Brierley.
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,” she added.
Victorian Farmers Federation 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 per annum 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.
Chair of the Cattle Compensation Advisory Committee and Nagambie producer, Ron Harris, said the funding helps 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,” said Mr Harris.
“This subsidy along with the Agriculture Victoria tendering process has led to Victorian producers having the cheapest Cattle tags in Australia,” said Mr Harris.
Previously funded projects include La Trobe University developing a rapid, highly sensitive field-based, early identification technology to detect sheep lice in sheep, potentially resulting in significant savings to the sheep industry.
Applications were open to private sector, businesses, universities and research institutions, co-operatives, Victorian State Government departments or entities, local government, and incorporated associations.
