BEEF producers stand to gain $1.60 for every dollar spent on farm biosecurity, a report has found.
The report, commissioned by Animal Health Australia, found simple practices to prevent the spread of pests and diseases paid for themselves, co-author, Ian Patrick said.
The study used the model of a self-replacing, 100-cow operation with multiple biosecurity alternatives and considered the impact of diseases including pestivirus, salmonella, vibriosis, internal and external parasites (worms and ticks) and neospora.
"Using a 10-year discounted cashflow, we started by calculating cattle-enterprise income with no disease," Dr Patrick said.
The costs of implementing biosecurity measures, both in labour and capital outlay, and their effectiveness in minimising disease risk and additional costs, were also calculated.
These measures included limiting and managing visitor access, cleaning vehicles, clothing and equipment, sourcing assured feed, monitoring and protecting water and feed supplies, identifying and fencing off risk areas, quarantining introduced animals and vaccinating.
Dr Patrick found some simple, low-cost measures were effective on-farm, while large capital improvements had the potential to benefit the broader agricultural community.
"It will certainly be beneficial to introduce simple measures, such as quarantining new animals, cleaning trucks, monitoring herd health and locking gates," he said.
"These are cheap and have the potential to minimise the risk of disease entry significantly."
While the report said implementing all biosecurity measures would be costly and time-consuming, Dr Patrick said by understanding the disease risks, producers could develop a cost-effective plan.
