Being involved in the management of land in Tasmania, such as crown land, national parks or other parklands, reserves, conservation areas, recreation areas, and historical sites, means that you have an important role to play in helping to protect the property under your management, and the state from the impact of pests, weeds and disease.
Listed below are some biosecurity actions you can take to meet your General Biosecurity Duty (GBD) and to help keep the land you manage - and Tasmania - biosecurity safe
Develop a Biosecurity Plan
Developing and implementing an appropriate biosecurity plan for the land that you manage is a key step that you can take. Biosecurity plans should contain actions aimed at preventing the introduction or spread of pests, weeds and disease on the property you manage. They are also a good way to educate staff and visitors on the importance of biosecurity. There are many on-line resources to assist with this – the
Farm Biosecurity website is a great starting point.
Important Biosecurity Actions
Biosecurity vigilance (also known as Notification of a Biosecurity Event)
If you
SEE something on the land you manage that is unusual or of biosecurity concern, such as potential exotic plant/animal pests, weeds or diseases, or invasive animal species;
SECURE the site by restricting access (and limiting movement in the case of suspected animal diseases) AND take a photo, noting the location; and then
REPORT it to Biosecurity Tasmania as soon as possible.
Please note: Taking samples in the field may increase the risk of spreading the biosecurity risk so Biosecurity Tasmania will provide further instruction regarding possible sample collection and submission.
Livestock and other animals
- Regularly check gates, fences and enclosures and repair any damage to prevent the escape or entry of livestock or other animals.
Register your property with a Property Identification Code (PIC). Owners of a property with one or more head of cattle, sheep, goats or pigs, or that commercially farm poultry for meat or eggs, must apply for a PIC. Owners of properties with animals such as horses and alpacas, or that are engaging in any form of primary industries enterprise are strongly encouraged to register for a PIC. Your PIC should be updated at least bi-annually, or as your specific situation changes.
Pests, weeds and diseases
Understand your responsibilities in the control of
declared weeds on the land that you manage and take all reasonable measures to limit their impact and spread.
Visit the webpages for further information on weeds in Tasmania.
To reduce the risk of common garden plants (or aquarium plants) becoming environmental weeds – consider composing all green waste within your own contained composting system to be used again on your property or, alternatively, utilise council green waste bins and facilities. Do not illegally dump green waste into the environment.
Work with licenced pest controllers and NRE Tas, where required, in the control and management of pest animals, such as
European rabbits and other invasive species, on your property.
Ensure that agricultural and veterinary chemicals are used as per label, or applicable off-label permit (i.e. appropriately to minimise risk to human health, animal health, plant health and the environment). Find out more about AgVet chemical use in Tasmania.
Carrying a basic, personal biosecurity kit is a good way of decontaminating vehicles, clothing and equipment. Recommended contents and instructions on putting a kit together can be found at the
Farm Biosecurity website.
Ensure that visitors are made aware of any biosecurity requirements on the land you manage, including completion of sign-in logs if required and the need for good vehicle, equipment, clothing and personal hygiene when travelling within and between sites.
Importing items into Tasmania
If you are purchasing goods from outside Tasmania for the land that you manage (such as seeds or plants) you can check the
Biosecurity Tasmania website as to any import restrictions or requirements.
All imported plants and many of their products must be presented to Biosecurity Tasmania for inspection at an
Approved Quarantine Place (AQP). It is the responsibility of the importer to determine an appropriate AQP and make a booking for inspection with Biosecurity Tasmania once the AQP has confirmed they will accept the consignment.
If you are importing equipment or machinery, you need to take all reasonable and practicable measures to ensure that they are cleaned and free of all soil, seeds and plant matter prior to arriving in Tasmania, as per Import Requirement 39 in the
Plant Biosecurity Manual Tasmania. Please note, some machinery may need to meet additional requirements.
If you are importing seeds in consignments under 1kg as per Import Requirement 36 in the
Plant Biosecurity Manual Tasmania, ensure that they are sourced from an approved supplier, or consider applying to become a registered importer if you plan on importing seeds on a regular basis.
Contact and reporting details
Contact Biosecurity Tasmania for general information or to report a suspected pest, weed or disease:
Phone: (03) 6165 3777
Alternatively, for reporting pests, weeds or diseases, you can call the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline (1800 084 881) or the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline (1800 675 858).
Stay up to date on biosecurity in Tasmania
Subscribing to get Tasmanian Biosecurity Advisories is the best way you can keep yourself up-to-date and fully informed about Tasmanian biosecurity issues. Our Advisories cover topics such as changes or proposed changes to Tasmania’s import regulations, animal health and welfare, plant health, forthcoming regulation reviews and opportunities for public comment, new or emerging pest/disease risks and a range of other matters related to Tasmania’s biosecurity
Follow Biosecurity Tasmania on Facebook.
Please note that this information contains minimum recommendations only. The GBD requires a person dealing with biosecurity matter or a carrier to take all reasonable and practicable measures to prevent, eliminate or minimise any biosecurity risk associated with the dealing. Such measures may not be specified in any regulations, guidelines or other official publications.