Wednesday 2 September 2015

CHANGES TO BIOSECURITY AND QUARANTINE – ARE YOU READY?


The new Biosecurity Act 2014 has been recently passed by Parliament and will replace the Quarantine Act 1908 in mid 2016.  The old Quarantine Act was originally designed to protect us from outbreaks of small pox and the bubonic plague. The old Act had been amended on numerous occasions, but the new risks that we face are very different these days and so the new Act is designed for more effective management of modern risks.

Queenslanders will need to report unusual events that might be related to biosecurity, for example, abnormally high mortality or morbidity rates in animals and sudden unexplained falls in production.  They will also have obligations for registering some animals and reporting their movements to allow for disease tracing.  The new Act will improve Queensland's biosecurity preparedness and response capabilities to assist rural property owners. 
 
If you have any questions, please contact Jade Hayman from the Rural Mining & Gas Team at Rees R & Sydney Jones Solicitors.