Yarra Valley strawberry grower Luciano Corallo has been named one of two winners of the 2019 Farm Biosecurity Producer of the Year award.
Animal Health Australia (AHA) and Plant Health Australia, through the Farm Biosecurity Program, partnered with the Australian Government’s Department of Agriculture and Water Resources to celebrate primary producers biosecurity champions through the Australian Biosecurity Awards.
Mr Corallo was nominated for his preventative approach to disease and pest management, his active participation in surveillance and his willingness to host biosecurity workshops on-farm and share his knowledge with the industry.
“Luciano has shown not only his commitment to on-farm biosecurity but also a firm understanding of its importance to the wider industry,” PHA executive director and chief executive Greg Fraser said.
He plays an active role in encouraging others to take proactive steps to secure their farms, made all the more effective by his enthusiasm for demonstrating his own on-farm practices.
“The more we do to highlight and show what best-practice looks like and provide help to implement these practices, the better. But for this, we need leaders to step up and share their insights.”
The other winner is Queensland cattle farmer Melinee Leather.
Farm Biosecurity is a national awareness program that provides information to livestock and plant producers and related service providers about on-farm biosecurity and prevention of animal diseases and plant pests. The program is a joint initiative of Animal Health Australia and Plant Health Australia. It encourages producers to identify risks to their livestock and plant products and minimise these risks by incorporating on-farm biosecurity measures into their everyday operations.
