Agriculture Victoria have outlined that if an incursion were to happen a livestock standstill would take effect immediately.

Central Victorian Livestock Exchange Ballarat business unit manager Jeff Paull said the saleyards were well prepared and would stick strictly to a safety plan in place if an FMD outbreak occurred.

The safety plan was updated earlier this year, and had "gone from a four page document to nearly 24 pages".

"I wanted to make sure our safety plan was something we could use and we just want it to be executable as well as possible," he said.

"We've always had a standstill plan, but it was more generic, but now things are site specific and catered to our needs."

Instructions in the updated plan include stopping the any sale immediately, making an announcement, securing the premises, and begin speaking with authorities straight.

On a non-sale day, CVLX Ballarat would additionally conduct a stocktake of all livestock on the premises.

Mr Paull said while there was some caution among local farmers, he did not think there was not a major sense of panic in the livestock sector regarding FMD.

"People are talking about it, and when there was that scare in Melbourne the other day, I did get a few phone calls, but I think most people are just being sensible," Mr Paull said.

"It would be devastating if we see it here in Victoria and certainly now is the time to be very aware."

He was satisfied with the messaging about FMD to the general public, but it was important there was a coordinated effort from authorities.

"I think Agriculture Victoria have been proactive, but the one thing I have noticed in the past week, is that there have been so many webinars from different organisations talking about this," he said

"I think we could slightly be in danger of mixed messaging, but it's good that education is getting out there."

Western Victoria Livestock Exchange Mortlake saleyard manager Colin Ryan also said there was a standstill plan ready in their region.

"We are even working with transporters who may have livestock in transit from our yards to bring them back here in the event of an incursion," he said.

"We are all in this together, and I think the most important part is to at least house that cattle."

He said a biodiversity plan was also in place for his yard, and the industry in general was concerned.

In a webinar earlier this month, Agriculture Victoria outlined they are working with saleyards across the state to keep livestock at saleyards with visitors permitted to move off, recommending deep cleans

Any trucks or utes with livestock will either head to their destination or return to where they came back from, dependent on animal welfare considerations or state border restrictions.

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