Agriculture and
meat processing workers

Here are some of the main reasons it’s important to keep up to date with your vaccines as an agriculture or meat processing worker.

🌾 Exposure to Animals and Animal Products

• Regular contact with livestock, poultry, and other farm animals
• Risk of zoonotic diseases such as Q fever, avian influenza, and leptospirosis
• Higher risk when animals are sick, unvaccinated, or stressed

🏭 Close, Confined Work Environments

• Shared equipment and tools can harbour pathogens
• Physical distancing is often limited on production lines
• Cold, humid conditions may prolong survival of some pathogens

🧫 Contact with Contaminated Surfaces and Materials

• Work surfaces, machinery, and transport equipment can carry bacteria and viruses
• Animal waste, hides, and carcasses are potential sources of infection
• Cleaning and maintenance can generate splashes or aerosols of infectious material

🛠 Risk from Cuts, Abrasions, and Injuries

• Knives, machinery, and farm tools increase the risk of cuts and punctures
• Open wounds can provide entry points for infection
• Injuries can exacerbate the severity of infections

👥 Protecting Yourself, Your Co-Workers and the Workforce

• Lowers risk of severe illness from occupational exposure
• Vaccination reduces workplace transmission among closely working teams
• Helps prevent large-scale outbreaks

• Reduces the risk of bringing infections home
• Limits spread to the wider community

• Supports safe operation of farms and processing facilities
• Protects seasonal or temporary staff who may be at higher risk

🛡 Maintaining Food Supply and Essential Services

• Healthy workers are critical to consistent food production and processing
• Staff illness can disrupt operations, affecting supply chains and public access to food
• Vaccination helps prevent production delays and shortages
• Ensures continuity of essential agricultural services

⚖ Workplace Health and Safety Responsibilities

• Supports compliance with occupational health and biosecurity guidelines
• Reduces risk of preventable work-related illness
• Demonstrates commitment to worker safety and food safety
• Complements PPE, hygiene, and infection control measures

People working in the agriculture or meat processing industries should consider the following vaccinations:

Influenza
 COVID-19
✔ Tetanus
✔ Japanese Encephalitis (location dependent)
✔ Q Fever (for certain livestock)