The NSW Government will make sweeping changes to laws that govern the State response to exotic disease outbreaks like horse flu, foot and mouth disease and mad cow disease, Minister for Primary Industries Ian Macdonald said today.

"The NSW response to EI was swift and highly effective, but these changes will further improve the response to any future emergency disease outbreak," Mr Macdonald said.

"The changes to the Exotic Diseases of Animals Act 1991 that went through the Lower House yesterday, will further improve the speed and effectiveness of our response to exotic and emergency disease outbreaks.

"We are streamlining the response and taking precautionary action early to make sure we are ready in the event a devastating exotic disease makes its way onto our shores.

"This means extending the reporting duty of private veterinary practitioners of suspected infection and providing additional powers to prevent the spread of diseases."

Mr Macdonald said compensation arrangements will be clarified, new offences will be introduced for providing false or misleading information with a maximum of $22,000 or six months in prison and provision for issuing penalty notices for minor breaches of the Act will be introduced.

"These changes will bring NSW into line with national emergency disease management," Minister Macdonald said.

"We need to be vigilant and take all precautionary measures we can to prevent disease reaching our shores and containing any outbreak in the unfortunate event one occurs."