Allen’s Warrawee Park
Allen’s Warrawee Park has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to farm biosecurity through practical risk management, continual improvement and a whole-of-business approach to protecting livestock health. Spanning 2,700 hectares south of Keith, South Australia, the Allen family’s fifth-generation farming enterprise combines irrigation, cropping and 3,600 Poll Merino ewes. Allen’s Warrawee Park has embedded strong biosecurity practices across its operations, strengthening animal health, safeguarding productivity and supporting long-term business resilience.
A defining moment in the property’s biosecurity journey came following the detection of footrot within the flock. Rather than viewing the incident as a setback, the business used it as an opportunity to review and strengthen biosecurity systems across the property. Through rapid action, disciplined management and a commitment to continuous improvement, the enterprise successfully eradicated the disease and regained disease-free status on their ewe flock within the same season. The experience reinforced the importance of prevention, surveillance and preparedness, and helped establish an even stronger culture of biosecurity throughout the business.
Biosecurity now underpins all aspects of the operation, from livestock movements and visitor management to record keeping, planning and on-farm decision-making. The Allen family has implemented a range of practical measures to minimise risks and ensure biosecurity remains a core business priority. This includes maintaining a closed flock, visitor hygiene protocols, biosecurity signage and well-maintained boundary fencing to reduce disease, pest and weed risks. Their approach demonstrates that effective biosecurity is not a standalone activity, but an integral part of everyday farm management that protects productivity, animal welfare and market access.
Allen’s Warrawee Park has also played an important role in promoting biosecurity awareness within the broader farming community. By sharing lessons learned and demonstrating the benefits of strong biosecurity systems, the business provides a practical example of how producers can strengthen resilience and respond effectively to disease threats. The family's openness and willingness to share their experience has encouraged greater awareness of the value of proactive biosecurity management across the sector.
Through leadership, perseverance and a commitment to continual improvement, the Allen family has demonstrated excellence in farm biosecurity. The enterprise's proactive approach to risk management, successful disease response and strong biosecurity culture provide an excellent example for producers across Australia. Their work highlights the critical role on-farm biosecurity plays in protecting animal health, supporting agricultural productivity and strengthening Australia's biosecurity system.
Watch a video about their work
Introduction
This is the accessible text transcript of the 2026 Australian Biosecurity Awards winner video featuring Michael Allen and Simon Allen of Allen’s Warrawee Park.
Transcript
Michael Allen: We were unfortunately diagnosed with footrot 2 years ago, a bit over 2 years ago now.
Found footrot in our rams. We were fortunate not to spread it right through our flock.
We took on board all the advice, did everything that we possibly could to control the disease in the rams.
The powers that be were confident that if we did a very intense program that we’d still be able to mate our ewes, which we did successfully and our biosecurity then, we were fortunate we got a property with quite a few laneways. It was easy to isolate the rams and do all the right things from there.
Simon Allen: Our product is going to other farms. We need a consistent product that’s going to be productive for the buyer and biosecurity is an incredibly important part of that for our business.
Michael Allen: Well I guess beating the footrot was the biggest win we had, but winning the award was just vindicating that we really did follow the steps.
Simon Allen: And it’s just good to be able to spread the word of biosecurity and the importance of it now and particularly into the future.
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