Ebuta PNG AgriFarm (EPNGAF) approaches livestock fencing maintenance through a combination of dedicated technical staffing, continuous monitoring, and significant infrastructure upgrades.
Fencing Maintenance Strategy and Staffing.
Specialized Roles: The farm employs Technical Experts specifically tasked with the maintenance of buildings and fencing, along with plumbing, electrical, and mechanical systems.
Operational Policy: A core part of the farm’s daily operations is to ensure that the facility is maintained where it is needed all the time
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Security and Biosecurity: Maintenance includes ensuring main gates are locked at all times and monitoring the farm yard to clear it of unwanted predators or humans, which helps prevent the spread of disease.
Fencing Materials and Recent Upgrades
The farm is transitioning from local materials to modern, durable fencing as part of its commercial upgrade:
Procured Materials: Recent invoices show the acquisition of high-quality materials for fencing projects, including 2.4m and 1.8m black-coated star pickets (Y posts), barbed wire, welded wire mesh, and galvanized chicken wire.
Legacy Infrastructure: Previous fencing and enclosure construction utilized buff wire and nails, which were part of a K15,000 investment for cowpad and pig pad construction.
Specific Upgrade Costs: The commercial expansion plan earmarks K150,000 specifically for Cow Farm Fencing and shed costs.
Budgeting for Maintenance
The farm tracks maintenance as a distinct expense in its financial records. According to the Actual and Projected.
Expenses Statement:
2022: The farm spent K3,000 on repairs and maintenance.
2023: Maintenance spending increased to K4,000.
2024: Maintenance spending increased to K5,000.
2025: Maintenance spending increased to K7,000.
2026: Maintenance spending increased to K11,000.
Labor: Maintenance tasks are supported by farmhands and casual laborers, with technical staff involved in ongoing oversight
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Note: While the sources provide details on procurement and general maintenance policies, specific daily maintenance schedules or prescriptive techniques for wire tensioning or post replacement are not detailed in the provided materials.
We have believe in ourself how much we spend every year, one day we we will receive in hundred folds.
The implementation of metal star picket fencing—specifically the 2.4m black-painted and 1.8m black-coated pickets recently procured from hardware suppliers—is a key component of Ebuta PNG AgriFarm’s strategy to enhance biosecurity as it scales to a commercial standard.
According to the sources, this modern fencing system improves biosecurity in the following ways:
Preventing Disease Spread from External Vectors: A primary biosecurity goal is to monitor and clear the farm yard of unwanted predators and humans, who are specifically identified as sources for “spreading decease”
. The metal pickets, used in conjunction with barbed wire and welded wire mesh, create a more secure and permanent perimeter than traditional wood-based fencing.
Animal Segregation: The farm maintains strict policies to keep “other animals away” from sensitive areas, such as the pig sheds, to protect livestock from threats like African Swine Flu.
Secure fencing allows for the effective subdivision of the farm into distinct zones (e.g., Zone 3 for Piggery and Chicken), ensuring that different species and potential disease carriers do not intermingle.
Securing Access Points: The use of professional fencing materials supports the farm’s requirement that main gates remain locked at all times
. This controlled access is essential for enforcing other biosecurity protocols, such as ensuring all employees and visitors are sanitized and wear full body covers before entering production areas.
Durability and Maintenance: Unlike local wood-based fencing, which the farm previously used, modern metal pickets provide a maintained facility standard that is less prone to breaches.
This durability is critical for preventing “accidental matings” by keeping specific animals, such as boars, separated from the main pans
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In summary, the transition to metal star picket fencing provides the robust physical barrier necessary to enforce the farm’s strict biosecurity policies, effectively shielding pedigree livestock from external biological threats and cross-contamination.