Biosecurity Planning Manual
Protecting Your Farm, Crop and Business
A Biosecurity Planning Manual is a practical document that outlines how you manage your potato growing operation and how you would respond if a pest or disease outbreak occurred. It captures the systems, processes and safeguards you have in place to reduce biosecurity risks and protect your business.
Every growing operation is different, so your biosecurity plan can be as simple or as detailed as needed. The important thing is that it reflects your operation and provides clear guidance for everyone involved.
The five step Biosecurity Planning Manual has been developed as a practical template to help growers create a biosecurity plan that works for their business. It includes guidance, tips and suggestions that can be customised to suit your farming operation and strengthened over time as your business evolves.
When developing your plan, it is important to involve staff, contractors and other people working on your property. This helps ensure everyone understands their role in protecting the farm and shares responsibility for maintaining strong biosecurity practices.
Why Have a Biosecurity Plan?
Biosecurity planning is one of the most effective ways to reduce the risk of pests and diseases entering or spreading within your operation. A well designed plan documents the steps you take when moving machinery, equipment, tools and plant material on and off your property. It also records how these movements are traced, how risks are managed, and what actions should be taken if something unusual is identified.
Having a documented plan helps ensure everyone involved in your business follows consistent procedures and understands what is expected. It also supports faster decision-making during a biosecurity response or emergency situation.
Early detection and reporting are critical to managing serious pests and diseases. By having systems in place before an issue occurs, growers are better prepared to respond quickly and minimise impacts on their crops, business and the wider industry.
Investing time in establishing good biosecurity practices can provide significant long-term benefits. Strong biosecurity systems support the smooth operation of day-to-day activities, help avoid costly disruptions, reduce the risk of movement restrictions, and protect market access opportunities that could otherwise be affected by unmanaged pests or diseases.
What Is Included?
The Biosecurity Planning Manual provides practical guidance to help growers:
- Identify biosecurity risks on their property
- Develop procedures to minimise those risks
- Record key movements and activities
- Improve traceability and farm preparedness
- Establish response actions for pest or disease incidents
- Build a culture of biosecurity awareness across the business
By following the steps in the manual, growers can create a tailored biosecurity plan that supports the long term health, productivity and resilience of their operation.e.address them
