• Coronavirus (COVID-19) update
• Avian influenza update – movement controls still in place
• Finalise your livestock fire plan now
• Check your home-grown fruit and veggies for maggots
• Backing agriculture for Victoria's strong future
• Helping farmers get the workers they need this harvest season
• Horticulture guidelines for seasonal workers​
• Have your say on a new animal welfare Act
• Tune into an AgVic Talk podcast
• Animal Welfare Grants still open
• Growers given easy access to crop variety disease ratings
• Be wise and report the floating water weed
• What's on

Victorian Border Crossing Permit

From 11.59pm on 21 November, permits are required for everyone arriving in Victoria who lives in or has travelled through South Australia.

For more information and to apply for a Victorian Border Crossing Permit, visit coronavirus.vic.gov.au

Update: safely reopening Victoria

The coronavirus (COVID-19) roadmap for reopening provides steps on easing restrictions, dependent on how many active coronavirus (COVID-19) cases are in the community and public health advice.

From 11:59pm on 22 November, changes are being made to restrictions across Victoria.

Read the Premier’s statement  or visit coronavirus.vic.gov.au  for more details.

COVIDSafe Plans are required for all Victorian businesses

It is mandatory for every Victorian business to have a COVIDSafe Plan .

To ensure compliance, random spot checks are underway.

Your COVIDSafe Plan must set out:

• your actions to help prevent the introduction of coronavirus (COVID-19) in your workplace
• the level of face covering or personal protective equipment (PPE) required for your workforce
• how you will prepare for, and respond to, a suspected or confirmed case of coronavirus (COVID-19) in your workplace
• this plan must demonstrate how you will meet all the requirements set out by the Victorian Government. Some higher-risk industries or workplaces have additional requirements of employers and employees.

Businesses must review and update their COVIDSafe Plans routinely, especially when restrictions or public health advice changes.

Organisations with multiple worksites must complete a COVIDSafe Plan for each worksite.

If you own a business in a high-risk industry, you must have a High Risk COVIDSafe plan .

In both metropolitan Melbourne and in regional Victoria, your business is operating in a high-risk industry and requires a High Risk COVIDSafe Plan if you are:

• an abattoir or meat processing facility
• a seafood processing facility
• a poultry processing facility
• in seasonal horticultural work.

For more information and for templates and guidance on how to create your COVIDSafe Plan, visit coronavirus.vic.gov.au .

Agriculture Victoria is continuing surveillance in the Golden Plains Shire and across the state to ensure Victoria is free of avian influenza.

Avian influenza, commonly referred to as ‘bird flu’, is a highly contagious viral infection of birds. It was detected in late July and has affected several properties across the state.

Serious forms of the disease can cause severe symptoms and sudden death in domestic poultry (up to 100 per cent of birds).

Mild strains of the disease cause few or no symptoms in poultry and may go undetected in some species of birds, though can result in some deaths.

In the Golden Plains Shire, a Restricted Area and a Control Area remain in place around the infected properties to help control the spread of the disease. 

Permits are required for the movement of poultry, poultry products and vehicles involved in poultry production within, into or out of the Restricted Areas and Control Area.

This includes farm-gate eggs and manure. Please apply online. These movement controls will remain in place until Ag Vic is confident the disease has been eradicated.

All sick or dead birds should be reported to the Emergency Animal Disease Watch Hotline on 1800 675 888, whether they are pet, farmed or wild.

For more information and maps of the Restricted Area and Control Area, or for permit, visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/avianflu

Victorian primary producers are more aware than most, particularly after the devastating 2019/20 bushfires, the importance of being prepared and having a plan in place for their livestock.

Effects faced include:

• damaged fencing and other infrastructure
• facilities and supplementary feed stores
• burnt pastures and
• devastating loss of thousands of sheep and cattle.

Producers were also required to move around 160,000 livestock to alternative locations across Victoria and interstate urgently both prior to, during and post the bushfires.

Now is the time for livestock owners to get prepared and have a clear strategy to apply in the possibility of a fire emergency on their farm.

A key factor in minimising the threat to livestock during a bushfire or on extreme fire danger days, is to identify safer areas on-farm where livestock can be moved to.

The area you choose will depend on the type of livestock and their expected behaviour during a bushfire.

To reduce potential injury and death to livestock you should consider relocating stock to designated low risk areas during days of high fire danger and Total Fire Bans. Low risk areas include:

• ploughed paddocks, areas cultivated and kept free of combustible vegetation
• bared-out paddocks, provided they are well defended by fire breaks
• irrigated paddocks or paddocks containing green summer crops (green feed does not burn easily)
• stockyards that can be wet in advance— however, the yards must be well defended as the fire front passes.

All low risk areas should have sufficient drinking water to enable stock to remain in the area for extended periods of high fire risk and high temperatures, be protected by firebreaks and be free of leaf, twigs and bark build-up.

Areas where there are dams and swamps are another possible option.

For more information see stock containment areas for emergencies.

Stockyards have been known to successfully hold livestock during a bushfire, if protected by a firebreak.

If this is your preferred option, consider using a sprinkler system, similar to stock being held together on a hot day, they can suffer heat stress.

Horses should not be locked up in small areas or stables but moved to an open paddock with minimal vegetation, so they can move freely.

Horses are good at moving themselves to safe open areas and usually suffer minimal burns if left to do so.

If equipment such as rugs, halters and flyveils remain on horses, the plastic may melt, and metal buckles can burn the animal. 

Therefore consider using rope halters for easier handling and management.

It’s crucial not to open gates that may allow stock access to public roadways, as any animals will be a hazard to traffic in smoky conditions.

On days of extreme fire danger or on the day before, stock should be moved into lower risk areas on-farm, or to a safer property.

Agriculture Victoria advises livestock owners to act early and not get caught trying to move stock as a bushfire approaches, listen to weather forecasts and observe your own environment to help you decide when to put your plan into action.

For further assistance on preparing a farm and livestock bushfire plan see the emergency management pages or contact the Agriculture Victoria Customer Service Centre on 136 186.

Have you seen maggots in your home-grown fruit or vegetables?

Agriculture Victoria are encouraging south-west residents to check their gardens and orchards for maggots, to support efforts to monitor for fruit flies in the region.

Agriculture Victoria Senior Project Officer Domestic Quarantine Lavinia Zirnsak said residents should contact Agriculture Victoria if they suspect they have fruit fly maggots in their garden, fruit tree or veggie patch.

'Fruit fly maggots are often found in the centre of the fruit. The maggots are 5 to 10mm long and creamy-white in colour.'

'Fruit flies are usually active from September to May, so now is the time to keep a look-out in your garden or on your farm to see if they are present,' Ms Zirnsak said.

The south-west is at a greater risk of fruit flies spreading from across the border after recent Mediterranean fruit fly outbreaks in South Australia.

Mediterranean fruit fly is an exotic species to Victoria and is a significant threat to the state’s multi-million-dollar fruit and vegetable industries.

Ms Zirnsak said anyone who reports a suspect fruit fly infestation within the region will receive a free collection kit from Agriculture Victoria with instructions for submitting a sample for testing.

'It’s as simple as placing the maggot infested piece of fruit or vegetable into a sealed plastic bag and sending it to our laboratory for identification, and then the sender will be notified of the result,' she said.

There are techniques you can use in your home garden to protect your fruit and vegetables.

Ms Zirnsak said it’s important to follow good garden hygiene such as regularly monitoring for presence in your garden, picking fruit and vegetables as they ripen and disposing of unwanted fruit and scraps carefully.

'Other control methods include protecting trees, plants and produce through netting, gazebos and bags, baiting and trapping and using insecticide control,' Ms Zirnsak said.

If you suspect you have fruit fly in your garden in the south-west, please call Agriculture Victoria on 136 186 or email market.access@agriculture.vic.gov.au.

For more information about the management of Queensland fruit fly, see our pages on Queensland Fruit Fly.

The Victorian Government is backing a stronger, more innovative and sustainable agriculture industry with a new strategy to drive Victoria’s recovery from coronavirus and bolster the economy.

Minister for Agriculture Jaclyn Symes recently announced the Victorian Budget 2020/21 will provide $65 million to support a strategy that responds to the challenges facing our farmers and positions Victorian agriculture for future growth.

A key focus of the strategy will be the modernisation of Victorian agriculture.

This includes $15 million to access leading AgTech, innovative farming methods and new skills so farmers have the tools and expertise they need to deliver more high-quality products to more local and global consumers, and enjoy even better returns.

Help for our farmers to expand their export potential will be provided through $20 million for the Food to Market and Pathways to Export programs, which will support infrastructure and business development projects and dedicated agriculture export resources for Victorian farmers.

The strategy will also focus on protecting the future of the industry by helping farmers respond and adapt to climate change.

Underpinning these objectives is a $30 million investment to extend the Agriculture Energy Investment Plan, which helps farmers reduce their energy costs, and be more energy efficient and productive.

The plan has been extremely popular, with farmers across Victoria benefitting from more than $11 million in grants awarded this year for energy efficiency investments and own-generation technology.

This government is continuing to support the industry as it recovers from the coronavirus pandemic, drought and bushfires.

Through the strategy, farmers and businesses will be helped to build resilience and take advantage of opportunities to strengthen supply chains and local manufacturing.

The strategy will build on existing work including Victoria's world-class agricultural research capacity, the On-Farm Internet of Things trials, new SmartFarms and Small-Scale and Craft Program.

The government will work in partnership with industry to ensure this work aligns with their future plans, building on the regular engagement with our industry reference group since March.

There will be opportunities for everyone to share their views and details on how to do this will be available soon.

There is a strong appetite from Victoria’s multicultural communities to get involved in farm work this harvest season.

As part of a suite of activities underway to help address the seasonal workforce challenges brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, Agriculture Victoria is running an online information session next week for small growers focused on engaging workers from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities.

The event will offer employers an opportunity to ask questions and learn more about what they can expect when hiring CALD workers.

The session will cover:

• Accessing financial and workforce support through the Victorian Government
• How to list seasonal jobs on Working for Victoria,and contact jobseekers who have expressed interest in working in agriculture
• Coronavirus (COVID-19) health and safety 
• Creating a welcoming workplace for people from diverse backgrounds.

Small growers in the Yarra Ranges, Casey, Cardinia, Mornington Peninsula,Greater Dandenong, Nillumbik and Whittlesea areas are encouraged to attend.

The event will be held on Thursday, 3 December from 1:30pm-3pm.

Register now here

Businesses with seasonal workforce needs can also seek assistance or connect with an Agriculture Victoria Seasonal Workforce Coordinator by calling the new seasonal workforce support hotline on 13 22 15.

Did you know that all Victorian farm businesses and labour hire agencies involved in seasonal horticulture (fruit and vegetables) must have a Seasonal Horticulture Workers COVIDSafe Plan?

Seasonal Horticulture Workers Guidelines and a Seasonal Horticulture Workers COVIDSafe Plan are available to help make seasonal horticulture workplaces COVIDSafe. 

For the Seasonal Horticulture Industry Guidelines, visit:
coronavirus.vic.gov.au/coronavirus-sector-guidance-agriculture-forestry-and-fishing#industry-guidelines

For the COVIDSafe Plan, visit: coronavirus.vic.gov.au/high-risk-covidsafe-plan#seasonal-horticulture

For more information and support visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/agworkforceplan

The Victorian Government has committed to modernising Victoria's animal welfare laws.

Proposals for a new animal welfare Act have been released for public feedback.

The new Act would replace the current Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986.

The Directions Paper sets out proposed high-level policy approaches for the new Act.

The proposals aim to achieve three key objectives:

• Improve the safeguarding of animal welfare – such as by setting minimum standards of care for animals in Victorian legislation for the first time.
• Provide a simplified and flexible legislative framework – making it easier for people to understand how animals must be treated and to enable the law to be more easily adapted in response to developments in animal science or industry practices and technologies and changing expectations for animal welfare. Proposals also aim to cut red tape for our food and fibre producers.
• Provide a better compliance and enforcement model – to enable earlier intervention to better safeguard animal welfare, as well as improve options to respond when people don’t treat animals as they should.

Submit your feedback

Read the proposals for the new animal welfare Act, complete the survey or download a submission on the Engage Victoria website.

The survey and submissions are open until 14 December 2020.

Your feedback will inform and influence the development of a draft Bill for a new animal welfare Act for the Victorian Parliament to consider.

Have you listened to the new AgVic Talk podcast series yet?

Episodes now available include:

• Turn a dream into reality with Sarah McLean
• Spring pasture management of fire affected pastures with Fiona Baker
• Getting a foot in the door using drones on-farm with Clay-Gowers
• Balancing wet winters and dairy farming with Craig Dwyer
• Managing a dairy farm in a variable climate with Kevin Fitzsimons
• Using soil moisture monitoring to help manage seasonal risk with Dale Boyd
• Managing through dry seasons is all about preparation with Peter Young
• Maintaining ground cover to secure sandy topsoil with Ron Hards.
• Dealing with stress during difficult times with David Cherry.

Listen here

The Victorian Government is offering $750,000 in grant funding to not-for-profit and community organisations who rehome pets or provide low-cost veterinary services.

Animal shelters, foster carers, not-for-profit and community vet clinics are encouraged to apply for funding.

Eligible organisations wishing to invest in infrastructure, programs and activities that align with the below areas and demonstrate a benefit to companion animal welfare in Victoria will be considered for funding:

• Improvement in the rates of reuniting companion animals to their owners and re-homing of companion animals
• Services, systems or equipment which improve the efficiency and effectiveness of foster care, Community Foster Care Networks, or community and not-for-profit veterinary clinics
• Upgrade or extension of current shelter, foster care or low-cost veterinary clinic facilities to improve the welfare of companion animals
• Establishment of new, low-cost veterinary clinics in areas of need in Victoria
• Education programs on responsible ownership of animals, including consideration of ethics, sentience and duty of care.

Only one grant application will be permitted per organisation.

Applicants are encouraged to read the round 9 Program Guidelines prior to commencing an application.

Online applications for Round 9 grant funding are now open and close Saturday 12 December 2020 at midnight.

Apply here.

For more information about the program contact pet.welfare@agriculture.vic.gov.au.

A new tool is providing grain growers across the nation with instant access to the latest disease ratings for crop varieties tested through the Grains Research and Development Corporation’s (GRDC) National Variety Trials (NVT).

The NVT Disease Ratings resource, available via one easy click at www.nvtonline.com.au/crop-disease/, contains information relating to a multitude of disease resistance and tolerance ratings for hundreds of cereal, pulse and oilseed varieties.

GRDC NVT Systems Manager, Neale Sutton, says NVT Disease Ratings is a self-contained platform enabling growers and advisers to quickly search for ratings for relevant varieties.

“Disease ratings can change from one season to the next, so this resource is constantly updated to ensure growers have at their disposal the very latest information to support their variety decisions,” Mr Sutton said.

“It is important that growers check the disease ratings each year for any changes from the previous season – ahead of sowing and during the season so they can enact appropriate disease management.”

Mr Sutton said NVT Disease Ratings users can search by crop type (wheat, barley, lupin, canola, chickpea, field pea, oat, triticale, faba bean and lentil), state, variety and resistance/tolerance.

“This new tool also provides information about the breeder and the year of release for every variety listed.”

The information contained in the NVT Disease Ratings tool is sourced through the NVT program of comparative crop variety testing which includes pathology investments that determine disease resistance ratings to enhance varietal data and information provided to growers and advisers.

These ratings are also included in the state sowing guides that are published every year.

Meanwhile, the latest 2020 NVT data will be available early in 2021 via the NVT Online website at www.nvtonline.com.au which hosts the NVT Disease Ratings and numerous other tools and resources.

Agriculture Victoria is encouraging regional Victorians to report sightings of the State prohibited weed, water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes).

Leading Biosecurity Officer Kaitlin Wright said water hyacinth is one of the world’s worst aquatic weeds.

An infestation can double in size within two weeks, devastating natural waterways and impacting heavily on aquatic flora and fauna.

'Water hyacinth can be identified by its purple flower spikes in summer and thick, fleshy round leaves that sit on the water’s surface.

It has dark feathery roots that trail in the water below and one plant is capable of producing 3000 seeds in one season,' Ms Wright said.

The plant has been illegally sold at some regional markets and online in the past and Agriculture Victoria is concerned that some residents may have innocently bought the ‘pretty but nasty’ plants for their fish tanks, ponds or dams.

'It’s vital that people report any sightings of water hyacinth. Even if you purchased this plant without knowing it was such an invasive weed.

'Please don’t try to control or dispose of the weed yourself. Contact Agriculture Victoria for the safe and secure disposal of plants.'

In Victoria, this highly invasive aquatic species is a State prohibited weed under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 and managed with the aim of eradication from the State.

Agriculture Victorian encourages anyone who thinks they have water hyacinth or have seen it offered for sale, to report it on 136 186 or Weed.Spotters@agriculture.vic.gov.au.

Did you know the amount of milk each cow in Australia produces has doubled since 1970?

This would not be possible without research into better breeding and how to use feed more efficiently.

Next week join research scientist Professor Jennie Pryce and WestVic Dairy extension officer Debbie Twiss as they discuss and answer questions about genetic improvement.

The virtual forum will be held at 12:30pm on Wednesday, 2 December.

To register go to Dairy Australia’s website: https://tinyurl.com/ATRNGI

You can also read more about Professor Pryce’s work in the latest edition of Dairy Innovation News (PDF) at https://tinyurl.com/DINOCT20

When - 30 November from 12 - 1 pm.

Cost - FREE

Register here

Agriculture Victoria, Climate Specialist, Graeme Anderson will talk about using seasonal forecasts and share new tools developed with a GRDC project for south eastern Australia.

Land managers, service providers, researchers and educators are encouraged to subscribe to our climate updates and newsletters.

Any queries can be directed to Climate Development Officer Heather Field at heather.field@agriculture.vic.gov.au

For more information and to subscribe to stay up to date with these upcoming climate webinars visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/climate

Are you busy making hay, started harvest or taking advantage of extra daylight in the evenings but would like to learn more about livestock traceability and how to use the NLIS database?

Agriculture Victoria is delivering interactive online training sessions for livestock producers using the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) database. 

There are two events for you to choose from in November and December.

Participants will learn about the Victorian traceability system, tour the NLIS database features and how to complete a Property to Property (P2P) transfer.

TOPICS

• Overview of the Victorian traceability system
• Setting up, navigating and using the NLIS database
• Completing Property to Property (P2P) transfers on the NLIS database.

REGISTRATION

Book your free tickets online at:
http://agriculturevictoriaevents.eventbrite.com then select the ‘NLIS Database Webinar’ event of your choice.

For more information, or if you have trouble registering, please call (03) 5761 1647.

Numbers are limited to allow for an interactive session, so be quick to secure a spot.

OTHER INFORMATION

Participants will be required to set up their NLIS account prior to attending the webinar, further information on how to do this and how to join the webinar will be provided at registration.

Beat the heat in December

Part 1:  Monday 7th December
8:00 am – 9:30 am

Part 2:  Wednesday 9th December
8:00 am – 9:30 am.

On behalf of the Corangamite Shire, Agriculture Victoria is hosting two The Occasional Counsellor™ webinars run by David Cherry, a clinical and forensic psychologist who has been working in this area for over 40 years. 

This workshop is for service providers and field staff who are not employed in a counselling role but are called upon to give others emotional support.

The webinars are free and for service providers who work in the Shire of Corangamite.

The focus of the workshop is on teaching participants strategies for assisting individuals who are sad, upset, bewildered, confused, angry or depressed while clearly remaining in their role.

The workshop will cover:

• skills of the helper, including the importance of empathy and when not to empathise
• understanding professional boundaries, including understanding your role and the limits of your role
• the difference between emotional support and counselling
• simple, practical strategies for supporting individuals who may be acutely emotionally distressed, including making appropriate referrals, while keeping yourself safe and remaining in your role
• self-care for the worker.

WHEN:     

Monday 30 November, 10 am to 1 pm OR Tuesday 9 February, 10 am to 1 pm

WHERE:

Online via a Zoom link, that will be provided at registration

REGISTER HERE:

https://theoccasionalcounsellorshirecoran.eventbrite.com.au

For assistance with registering, contact Helen Chenoweth on 0436 648 935 or at helen.chenoweth@agriculture.vic.gov.au

RSVPs essential as places are limited.

This webinar is funded by the Victorian Government Community Activation and Social Isolation (CASI) initiative.

After bushfire, our ecosystems are at their most vulnerable to weed invasion.
Help to support indigenous flora and fauna by managing weeds in bushfire affected areas.

This webinar series focuses on sharing practical knowledge so everyone can contribute to bushfire recovery.

Free, each Wednesday 10:30am to 12:15pm, 25 November to 16 December 2020.

Register here for the online webinars and learn how you can help indigenous species through weed management.

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