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https://www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity/australia/public-awareness/aba/winners2020 Australian Biosecurity Award recipientsWe present the Australian Biosecurity Awards each year. They recognise significant commitment to our nation’s biosecurity system.
These are the recipients for 2020.
Round 1....
Seafarms Group Ltd Seafarms Group has made significant investments in all aspects of biosecurity in its east coast operations. This has seen the company become an industry leader in biosecurity preparedness and prevention. The company has supported improvements in the understanding and management of significant aquatic pests in Australia.
Read more about Seafarms’ story in the
2020 Australian Biosecurity Awards booklet.
from the booklet:
FARM BiOSECURiTY PRODUCER OF THE YEAR CATEGORY
Seafarms Group Ltd
Seafarms Group has made significant and sustained investments in all aspects of biosecurity in its east coast operations. This has seen the company become an industry leader in biosecurity preparedness
and prevention.
The company has supported improvements in the understanding and management of significant aquatic pests in Australia.
As the nation’s largest producer of farmed prawns, its approach has helped address many of the challenges associated with managing biosecurity in aquatic environments.
In all of its farm operations, Seafarms Group
has actively developed a culture of biosecurity responsibility. Under its operational biosecurity plan, biosecurity controls are in place for all farm inputs, including stock, people, water, environment, feed
and equipment.
All staff are trained in biosecurity and Seafarms Group has strict controls in place from the moment anyone enters a company site.
The company also conducts a number of activities not directly required to meet its on-farm biosecurity obligations, but that build capability of the industry to better manage biosecurity risks.
This includes the development of an on-farm laboratory to enable fast turnaround of microbiological pathogen surveillance. It also collects farm-generated data to support evidence-based decision-making for optimised stocking and production.
The company has supported and collaborated with various researchers on projects to support the Australian prawn farming industry and other stakeholders to improve farm biosecurity.
Its collaboration with the ARC Research Hub for Advanced Prawn Breeding, researchers at James Cook University (JCU), CSIRO and the University
of Sydney targeted selective breeding for disease resistance and identified innovative ideas to manage prawn health.
Seafarms Group Pty Ltd was nominated by Kelly Condon, Senior Laboratory Officer, JCU AquaPATH Lab.
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