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Foot-and-mouth disease
An outbreak of an emergency animal disease (EAD) is a serious, though thankfully uncommon, occurrence, thanks to Australia’s geographic isolation and strong biosecurity measures at the border. However, there is no such thing as zero risk, particularly when it comes to diseases which can be harboured and transmitted by wildlife. Recent detections of avian influenza (AI) in Victoria has prompted Animal Health Australia (AHA) to issue a reminder to bird owners to take biosecurity seriously, even if they only have backyard hens.
The concept of social distancing will likely go down in history as one of the main things by which we remember 2020. Over the course of the year, keeping an appropriate distance between yourself and others has been touted as a key step in limiting the transmission of diseases between individuals. There are some significant parallels between human, animal and plant disease outbreaks, in terms of how they are managed. This is because the same basic principles are at play, regardless of what species the disease affects.
Rigorous and regular surveillance will protect your growing crops from new weeds, pests and diseases.
A video on cleaning and disinfecting greenhouses between crops gives step-by-step instructions on how to do this.
More Australian producers than ever before have implemented biosecurity practices to protect their properties from diseases, pests and weeds.
Preventing the introduction and spread of diseases, pests and weeds has been a big topic for our livestock industries over the past few years. Several states have introduced biosecurity responsibilities in legislation, quality assurance programs have added or improved their biosecurity modules, and the threat of exotic diseases reaching Australia is always increasing.
Much like the flu in human populations, many biosecurity risks to your farm are tied to seasonal conditions. Shifting wind patterns, rainfall and temperature can impact where we find pests, weeds, and both diseases and things which can spread them. With meteorologists suggesting that the coming seasons may be wetter than average, Animal Health Australia (AHA) is reminding livestock producers to pay close attention to what’s going on in their region as the weather changes.
