Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Biosecurity is a huge challenge for any event with animals—so how do you manage the risks involved in putting on Australia’s largest agricultural show? By Lynne Testoni
Biosecurity is always a concern for veterinarians, but what if you were dealing with the most valuable animals in the country? And multiple species from all over the state, country, and occasionally the world?
This is the case with the Sydney Royal Easter Show. The Easter Show is Australia’s largest annual ticketed event and premier agricultural show, attracting nearly 850,000 visitors annually. Animals at the show are the best examples of their class in NSW, can be worth more than $50,000 each, and represent the livelihood of much of the state’s farming community.
Veterinarian Dr Mark Schembri manages the health of 13,000 animals and a team of committed vets throughout the show. A passionate showgoer from a young age, Dr Schembri (vice-president of the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW (RAS) and chairman of its Veterinary Committee) started helping at the show as a young veterinary student and has been involved in animal health there ever since.
An educator, academic and practitioner in both human and animal medicine, he has lectured for more than a decade at the University of Sydney’s School of Veterinary Science. He is also a practising doctor in Women’s Health at Royal North Shore Hospital and veterinarian with the Australian Turf Club.
An equine veterinarian, he says that he became interested in biosecurity after the equine influenza outbreak of 2007.
“I realised how vulnerable the Sydney Royal Easter Show and other agricultural shows were when it came to infectious diseases,” he explains.
“The veterinary profession, particularly the field of agriculture and veterinary science, managed the outbreak in 2007. We saw one of the state’s largest industries effectively brought down to its knees by the outbreak of equine influenza.
“And this was a disease that you wouldn’t normally be overly concerned about entering the domestic horse population because it’s quite controllable at the border,” he adds. “We had vaccines available, we had a quarantine station that should have prevented the outbreak occurring, but it unleashed a lot of questions.
“That’s where the impetus came for me to start thinking about the future of the Royal Easter Show when it comes to biosecurity.”
With the aid of a scholarship, Dr Schembri completed a Master in Public Health (Infectious Disease Epidemiology) at Harvard University in 2009, and used that knowledge to develop biosecurity protocols for the Easter Show, which have now been in place for more than a decade.
“Going to Harvard taught me many things but in particular it taught me how disease spreads, including the reproductive rate of infectious particles,” he says. “But just as important was learning how to manage people, industry, and government during an outbreak, and becoming better at communication. It meant that if there was an outbreak, I knew what to do.”
The RAS is managed by many committees, including the Veterinary Committee that Dr Schembri chairs. The decision to implement the protocols was made by the RAS with input from various industry experts, including veterinary specialists.
Going to Harvard taught me many things but in particular it taught me how disease spreads, including the reproductive rate of infectious particles. But just as important was learning how to manage people, industry, and government, during an outbreak.
Dr Mark Schembri, vice-president, Royal Agricultural Society
“We consult with industry experts to identify any diseases that we’re aware of, and what we need to know,” says Dr Schembri. “Because, in stating the obvious, the Sydney Royal Easter Show brings together many species in close proximity, and we need to know how to manage that in today’s biosecurity context.
“We need to know which infectious agents could spread via human traffic, so if someone enters, for example, the goat pavilion then heads to the sheep pavilion, could they carry a virus into that pavilion?”
Many animals at the show share pavilions—and different breeds might end up in the same sheds in subsequent weeks, such as beef cattle one week, dairy cattle the next.
“Through research in these areas, we developed rigorous protocols, which we continue to review to ensure they remain effective and uncompromised,” says Dr Schembri. “Because it’s easy to throw your hands in the air and say, ‘Everything will be all right’.”
There are many different parts of biosecurity to manage at the show, including the arrival of animals, to minimise contact between animals and even species.
“Protocols are in place so that the streets of the Show are closed off to vehicle movement at certain times,” explains Dr Schembri. “This reflects broader biosecurity measures as well, minimising cross-exposure between species to reduce the risk of unknown diseases entering the pavilions.
“The changeover between animals is where you’ll see biosecurity at its best at the show. It’s a massive cleaning effort; we remove all the waste, remove all the bedding, wash, sterilise, reset.
“And then there’s the risk of infectious diseases occurring around the state of New South Wales and being prepared to deal with them if they should reach the show. For example, there were some cases of a Japanese encephalitis virus in NSW in 2024 causing encephalitis in pigs.”
There are usually about eight vets (often leaders in their respective fields) on the ground every day of the show, and the whole team comes together each morning to share any concerns, get advice from peers and discuss difficult cases.
And it doesn’t stop with Sydney. The RAS shares all its biosecurity protocols with local shows around NSW as needed, says Dr Schembri, and the organisation has a great relationship with all of the other states, where information and procedures are also shared.
“It’s always on my mind that the Royal Easter Show, or any show for that matter, could be brought to a halt by a disease outbreak of any kind,” he says.
“So we’re very fortunate that we have preventive measures in place. We also have owners who care about their animals, and are generally careful, recognising both the stress involved and value of the animals. All this works in our favour.”
