Disease is an inevitable part of any aquaculture production. Some pathogens are always present in farmed stock and only cause disease when stock is stressed or when water quality conditions deteriorate due to bad management. The impact of these pathogens can be managed with good hygiene and husbandry practices. Other pathogens can be very damaging even under ideal husbandry conditions—these should be excluded from the farm wherever possible. The spread of overseas diseases is another emerging issue and one of great concern as most Australian species have little or no resistance to these diseases. The resent outbreak of White Spot Disease and the emerging threats of crayfish plague and herpes carp virus are making biosecurity a major management issue. Many management agencies are seeing the need for these plans and states like NSW now have a farm biosecurity risk management plan (BRMP) as mandatory for all new farms. A farm biosecurity plan must best submitted and approved before an aquaculture permit is granted. For new entrants to the industry this can be an extremely difficult task. AABio works with you to develop a BRMP for your farm.

Biosecurity Risk Management Plan
Biosecurity Risk Management Plan

Biosecurity describes the systems put in place to protect a farm from diseases. These systems will reduce the risk of damaging diseases entering the farm, can prevent health issues emerging within the farm, and can reduce impacts of disease if it occurs.

The purpose of our aquaculture biosecurity risk management plan is to:

provide details of the aquaculture farms location

  • provide background information on the farm, the personnel and the area
  • provide background information on the species under culture
  • provide background information on the potential diseases and their identification
  • provide information on standard operation procedures and farm management
  • prevent health issues emerging within the farm
  • reduce the risk of diseases being introduced into the farm
  • reduce the risk of any diseases spreading within the farm
  • allow for early disease detection so that impacts can be reduced
  • reduce impacts of disease if it occurs
  • reduce the risk of any diseases escaping from the farm
  • ensure the health and wellbeing of all species under culture on farm
  • have emergency response protocols in place for any serious disease outbreaks

Our on farm biosecurity risk management plans (BRMP) are designed to protect the farm and the species under culture from diseases that could be introduced from outside the farm. Additional, it is designed to limit the spread of diseases both on farm and off farm. Biosecurity plans require regular review and update, new diseases and threats are emerging all the time, but hopefully, regardless of the threat the good management and risk reduction practices recommended in your plan will help protect you for all threats.

Your biosecurity risk management plan is created specifically for your farm and your management level. We work with you to develop the plan. BRMP is an extensive document, we do large numbers of them so we can can create them relatively cheaply. Typically a freshwater crayfish (Yabby or redclaw) BRMP cost the client $1100: a finfish (silver perch or Murray Cod) BRMP costs the client $1500.

If you need one, contact us for further details.

Yabby Biosecurity Risk Management Plan
Yabby Biosecurity Risk Management Plan