Dairy Australia coronavirus covid-19 farm business update
Dairy Australia aims to ensure farmers, their families, staff and communities are safe and well as the situation around coronavirus (Covid-19) evolves.
13 March 2020
2 minute read
The dairy industry has a dedicated group which is actively monitoring the situation and meeting regularly to manage the impact for dairy farmers and the wider industry.
How can I manage the impact of Covid-19 on my farm business?
Dairy farmers have a number of options to prepare their business and make contingency plans.
Farmers can consider:
- Protecting your staff from exposure - consider international visitors, people returning from overseas from at risk areas, and consider self-isolation if staff unwell.
- Potential impacts on your business and ability to operate.
- Operating with limited labour due to staff having to self-isolate following travel or closure of schools or childcare.
- What goods (e.g. chemicals) do you rely on to keep your business going in the coming three to four months. Contact suppliers to secure goods or source alternatives.
- At this point the World Organisation for Animal Health and the Australian Veterinary Association indicated there is no evidence that livestock can contract or spread the disease.
Do I need a Biosecurity Plan?
Where possible, dairy farmers should enact a biosecurity plan which can be created using Dairy Australia’s Biosecurity tool.
This includes procedures around:
- Farm visitors
- Thorough business hygiene practices for staff
How do I stay updated?
- To stay up-to-date as to how to best protect yourself against Covid-19, please check-out these resources from the Department of Health.
- If you are employing people, have a look at these resources with advice for employers.
- To stay up-to-date about travel restrictions, please check out the Department of Health’s website or the Smartraveller website.
