Priority list of endemic diseases for the red meat industries

This report provides a systematic review of the most economically damaging endemic diseases and conditions for the Australian red meat industry (cattle, sheep and goats). A number of diseases for cattle, sheep and goats have been identified and were prioritised according to their prevalence, distribution, risk factors and mitigation. The economic cost of each disease as a result of production losses, preventive costs and treatment costs is estimated at the herd and flock level, then extrapolated to a national basis using herd/flock demographics from the 2010-11 Agricultural Census by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Information shortfalls and recommendations for further research are also specified. A total of 17 cattle, 23 sheep and nine goat diseases were prioritised based on feedback received from producer, government and industry surveys, followed by discussions between the consultants and MLA. Assumptions of disease distribution, in-herd/flock prevalence, impacts on mortality/production and costs for prevention and treatment were obtained from the literature where available. Where these data were not available, the consultants used their own expertise to estimate the relevant measures for each disease. Levels of confidence in the assumptions for each disease were estimated, and gaps in knowledge identified. The assumptions were analysed using a specialised Excel model that estimated the per animal, herd/flock and national costs of each important disease. The report was peer reviewed and workshopped by the consultants and experts selected by MLA before being finalised. Consequently, this report is an important resource that will guide and prioritise future research, development and extension activities by a variety of stakeholders in the red meat industry. This report completes Phase I and Phase II of an overall four-Phase project initiative by MLA, with identified data gaps in this report potentially being addressed within the later phases. Modelling the economic costs using a consistent approach for each disease ensures that the derived estimates are transparent and can be refined if improved data on prevalence becomes available. This means that the report will be an enduring resource for developing policies and strategies for the management of endemic diseases within the Australian red meat industry

Investigating animal health and production problems

University of Technology, Sydney. Faculty of Science.NO FULL TEXT AVAILABLE. Access is restricted indefinitely. The hardcopy may be available for consultation at the UTS Library.NO FULL TEXT AVAILABLE. Access is restricted indefinitely

Developing a clean market chain for poultry products in Indonesia

Biosecurity on smallholder poultry farms in Indonesia is becoming increasingly important to the Indonesian poultry industry. Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI- H5N1) and other poultry diseases continue to reduce poultry farm productivity, cause human mortalities and reduce consumer confidence in poultry products. Since HPAI was first diagnosed in Indonesia in 2004 (FAO 2004), it has become endemic in 31 of the 33 provinces and been responsible for 146 human fatalities (FAO 2012), the most recent in Bali in 2012

Cost effective biosecurity for NICPS operations in Indonesia

The project addressed issues of importance to the Indonesian poultry industry following the entry of HPAI into the country in 2003. Significant work was being undertaken with regard to village chicken systems but disease movement and poultry mortality issues within the non-industrial commercial poultry sector (NICPS) were not being examined. It was clear that the structure of the value chain was not encouraging farmers to improve their biosecurity with resultant continuation of human and chicken mortalities throughout Indonesia. The aim of the project was to use a value chain approach to reduce the risk of disease in NICPS farms through providing economic incentives for smallholders to invest in biosecurity. The project was managed by UNE in partnership with DGL & AHS, FMPI and IPB. Success required value chain development and ownership of project activities by both government (national, provincial and kabupaten) and the poultry industry. This project was the first to have an industry association (FMPI) as a formal project partner. Through the provincial industry partners, the project developed value chain stakeholder training and management programs which resulted in a total of 613 stakeholders including 317 smallholders being trained to better understand disease movement and how to reduce disease risk in and around the farm. These smallholders then had the opportunity to be part of a farm approval process which would allow them to participate in a trial which developed and implemented a 'clean market chain' and rewarded smallholders, through the receival of a premium price, for their investment in biosecurity