LIVESTOCK producers can expect to be randomly selected for their Livestock Production Assurance (LPA) audit from July 2018, when the first of about 2000 random on-farm audits will be carried out nationally.
Enforcement of the new on-farm animal welfare and biosecurity management practices, which have become part of LPA accreditation since October 2017, will take place from July and occur yearly.
Compliance requirements with these additional elements saw backlash from livestock producers across the State when they were first notified of the change in October, in many cases after the role-out of the new program had begun.
Many producers were upset at the perceived lack of consultation about the changes and the additional costs and requirements associated.At the time Meat & Livestock Australia and Integrity Systems Company (ISC), which manages the LPA program, responded to concerns saying it was important to be ahead of the game in terms of animal welfare in order to prove the integrity of the Australian production system, which would enable exporters to access the “high-end European market”.
ISC postponed compliance requirements to the new standards until July to allow producers time to come to grips with the new expectations and to conform to the animal welfare and biosecurity requirements.
The two additional requirements were added to the five existing elements – property risk assessment, safe and responsible animal treatments, safe livestock feed, preparation for dispatch, and livestock transactions and movements.
To meet the biosecurity requirements every LPA accredited producer needs to have a Farm Biosecurity Plan, and implement it.Producers must also be able to demonstrate that their on-farm handling of livestock is consistent with the Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines.
Those responsible for livestock management need to have a copy of the standards and guidelines, be familiar with its content, complete the LPA Learning module, and advise and oversee others handling livestock.AUS-MEAT auditor Brendan Ryan conducts LPA audits from Werribee in south-western Victoria to Naracoorte in South Australia, and up to the New South Wales border.
Since February, he has been covering animal welfare and biosecurity as part of the audits, however in order to allow producers to familiarise themselves with the expanded program, compliance with the new areas was not being enforced.“
Most producers are on the right track in meeting the requirements, they just need to spend some more time demonstrating what they are doing,” Mr Ryan said.
“When they are notified about an audit, my advice to producers is to not panic, they just need to read the information pack carefully and they will know what to do.
“The Biosecurity Plan doesn’t need to be a massive document. “Producers just need to think about the things they do with regards to biosecurity on their own farm, and document it using a template.
“It’s things producers do every day – managing and recording the introduction and movement of livestock, controlling people, equipment and vehicles entering the property where practical and monitoring and managing the health of their livestock.
“A Biosecurity Plan template has been developed to help producers complete this requirement which really helps to make it easy.”
Mr Ryan said producers must be able to show they have completed appropriate training in animal welfare.
“They need to take a look at the LPA Learning module which asks practical questions about animal care, complete the module, print out the completion certificate, and they’ll make their auditor happy,” Mr Ryan said.
ISC chief operating officer Jo Quigley said customer confidence in Australian red meat underpinned the success and growth of Australia’s livestock industry, and protected the livelihoods of more than 200,000 producers.
“Under LPA, on-farm systems are required to ensure the management and handling of livestock is consistent with customer expectations from more than 100 global markets that buy Australian red meat,” Ms Quigley said.
“We must be able to prove we treat our animals ethically and manage them in a manner that minimises the risk of infectious disease.
“The LPA audits verify on-farm practices and help to provide that proof for our customers.”All LPA accredited producers may be selected through the random audit system.
Property Identification Codes (PICs) are selected for audit at random from the database of all LPA-accredited producers, including producers with just a few livestock.
PGA Livestock Committee chairman Chris Patmore said that LPA had always gone out of its way to help producers comply, and he hoped this would continue to be LPA’s attitude with the new biosecurity and animal welfare standards.
“Penalties should always be a last resort,” Mr Patmore said.
Although there had been a lot of anxiety over the changes, he believed this had since died down to just resentment over the how the changes were rolled out.
Mr Patmore said it seemed ISC had learnt its lesson, and that any future changes would require significant consultation with livestock producers.
WAFarmers executive officer Kim Haywood said people were still ringing her to voice concerns about what was required in an LPA audit, particularly around the biosecurity plan and how it should be formulated.
“Farmers have realised they have to do this to access markets,” Ms Haywood said.
“But people have reluctantly accepted the LPA accreditation and are still confused about what to have in place.
”She said there was still a lot of work to do to help producers prepare for the audits and WAFarmers had been working with producers one on one to help them understand the process and the requirements.
