Varying weather conditions since late 2023 are likely to have impacted the quality and quantity of available local fodder across much of eastern Australia, resulting in livestock producers sourcing interstate fodder to meet ongoing feed demand.
Fodder movement laws are in place to prevent the spread of weeds, pests, and diseases beyond known infestations and onto your paddocks.
To mitigate these threats, Agriculture Victoria administers legislation (Plant Biosecurity Act 2010), aimed at preventing the introduction, establishment and spread of biosecurity threats.
This legislation describes restrictions on the entry into Victoria of material which is a host of a specified pest or disease.
There are penalties for non-compliance with the Plant Biosecurity Act, so check all the biosecurity requirements that apply to the importation of grain, fodder and other livestock feed products in the Victorian Plant Quarantine Manual (PQM) at: https://go.vic.gov.au/3PudQKK
In some cases, the consignment will need to travel with a Plant Health Certificate (PHC) issued by biosecurity officers in the source state.
This certificate assures Victoria the prescribed conditions for entry — including sampling, testing, inspection and other analyses — have been conducted and the consignment is free from risky pests and diseases.
If inspections and certification are required, there will be additional costs beyond the quoted price for the product.
An example — cereal grain and hay for feeding livestock
The entry or importation of cereal grain (wheat, barley, oats) and lucerne, pasture and cereal hay into Victoria for livestock feed is prohibited unless it meets Condition 20A of the Victorian PQM.
This condition states:
- It must originate from a state or territory free from annual rye-grass toxicity (ARGT), including Queensland, Northern Territory and Tasmania, where the respective state government has issued an area freedom certificate for ARGT.
- If it comes from NSW, Western Australia and South Australia, it will need to travel with a PHC issued by Biosecurity Officers in that state. This assures Victoria the consignment is free from rye-grass containing the bacterium that causes ARGT.
- If grown or packed on a property within 25km of a green snail infestation, it is prohibited under Condition 23D in the Victorian PQM. A PHC or Plant Health Assurance Certificate (PHAC) must accompany the consignment to certify compliance with this entry condition.
The entry or importation of grain legumes (chickpeas, faba beans, field peas, lentils and lupins), from any state, into Victoria for stock feed only, is allowed without restrictions.
Related biosecurity matters
- It is important to note importing seed into Victoria for planting involves further and different quarantine conditions to be met and may well be prohibited, depending on the origin state and species of plant.
- The Catchment and Land Protection Act states that you can’t bring noxious weeds into Victoria and that anything contaminated with noxious weeds is prohibited. Information about weeds that should be vigilantly monitored for can be found here: https://go.vic.gov.au/3PqL6T9
- Be rigorous with your interrogation about the quality, integrity, providence and composition of the feed you’re buying and importing. You don’t want to import new problems such as noxious and problematic invasive weeds.
- If possible, feed your livestock only in designated quarantine paddocks, where any potential issues can be contained and are easier to look for. Thereafter, be on the lookout for anything new or suspicious that germinates in your paddock and have it identified and eradicated quickly.
- Practical and inexpensive farm biosecurity tactics can be found at: https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/biosecurity
For more information on the biosecurity entry conditions when importing feed for your livestock from interstate, and for any other biosecurity query, contact Agriculture Victoria to speak to a biosecurity officer on 136 186.
By Jim Moran, Agriculture Victoria grains industry biosecurity officer.
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