Lessons from the management
of cattle diseases in Australia
Wyn Grant
An encounter with an alpaca
Orange, NSW
Some clear differences
• Geography: tropical, sub-tropical and arid
areas
• Politics: a federal system with substantial
responsibilities remaining at state level –
states have strong legal powers but money is
largely with Commonwealth
• Importance of professional cooperation of
vets
• Western Australia and the eastern states
• No wildlife reservoir for bovine TB
Some political challenges
• ‘Federal system relies on good working
relationships. Tensions between
Commonwealth and states and between
states. Always a tension with money.
System is funded by states, go through
funding cycles, various states aren’t
synchronised. States have to listen to
domestic industries.’
Challenges facing Australian
agriculture
• Distinctive but fragile ecology
• Climate change/weather cycles –
drought
• Salinity
• Continued protectionism in global
agriculture
• Infrastructure issues, e.g., rural vets
Drivers of Australian policy
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Biodiversity
Exotic diseases – recent EI outbreak
Importance of exports to agriculture
Australia’s reputation for high standards
Animal welfare concerns of urban population
UK experience with FMD
Near neighbours with variable biosecurity
systems, incidents rising
Why we can learn from
Australia
• Policy learning is possible
• Systematic and reflective thinking on
issues
• Institutional innovations
• Holistic approach to biosecurity being
developed
What is biosecurity?
• ‘Our current working definition is that
Biosecurity is the protection of the
economy, the environment and the way
of life and human health from the
negative impacts of pest and diseases
and contaminants’ – Ron Glanville,
Chief Biosecurity Officer, Queensland
Biosecurity Queensland
• Biosecurity Queensland formed two
years ago covers animals, plants,
weeds, animal welfare
• Gets common approaches happening,
technical details change with pest,
approaches to management common
• Glanville paper assesses biosecurity
risks facing Queensland
Biosecurity at Commonwealth
level
• Beale report following equine influenza
outbreak
• National Biosecurity Authority fom July
2009: Australian Quarantine and
Inspection Service, Biosecurity Australia
and parts of the Department of
Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
Animal Health Australia
• Not for profit company which evolved
out of TB and brucellosis campaign
incorporated in 1996
• Partnership between Commonwealth
government, state governments and
industry, contribute one third each
• Emphasis on stakeholder engagement
Value added of AHA
• Wide range of stakeholders, e.g., meat
processors, stockyards, animal welfare
organisations
• Series of collaborative partnerships
• Key element is everyone taking
responsibility for sharing risk, not just
cost sharing, but responsibility sharing
Reconciling divergent views
• An independent central forum so can
act as an honest broker in terms of
negotiations, although not an overt
leadership role
• If debate gets politically intense, AHA
seen as neutral ground, can identify
areas of commonality in divergent
views, a basis to build
BJD in Australia
• Occurs in states of South Australia,
Victoria, NSW and Tasmania (16 herds)
• NSW largely along border with Victoria,
but outliers related to former dairy
industry
• Western Australia declared BJD free in
1999, Queensland and Northern
Territory traditionally free of disease
BJD Zones
• Introduced in 1999 to prevent BJD from
spreading further, movement controls
• Free Zone: Western Australia
• Protected zones: Queensland, NT,
northern pastoral areas of SA, most of
NSW, Flinders Island+Furneaux Group
• Residual zone: Tasmania
• Control zones: Victoria, southern SA
Drivers for BJD policy
• Association with Crohn’s disease
• ‘Most of benefits we get from Johne’s control
relate to the ability to market cattle anywhere
both overseas and in Australia’
• Scheme which has affected farmer thinking
because it affects price achieved by cattle
• Approach of Southern Australia is more
regulatory, W. Australia individual business
risk
National Johne’s Disease
Control Programme
• Since 1996, a set of Standard
Definitions and Rules to facilitate trade
between jurisdictions
• Market Assurance Programme, an
audited quality assurance programme
incorporating animal health risk
assessment, testing and movement
controls
National Dairy BJD Assurance
Score
• Mandatory to declare the Dairy Score in NSW
and SA
• 0-10 rating, 0 is non-assessed and 1 is
infected or suspect
• 2-6 in Bovine Johne’s control programmes (2
more than 4% reactors)
• 7 or 8 first clean test depending on zone, 810 if in Cattle MAP, 10 if in BJD Free Zone
Financial and Non Financial
Assistance Package
• This is not a compensation package, but an
assistance package to help owners of
infected and suspected herds to recover from
effects of BJD. Industry funded.
• BJD counsellor to assist the producer
consider management and trading options
and develop a business plan
• Capped funds for testing and slaughter of
identified high risk animals
Stakeholder engagement
• BJD Summit in NSW including abattoirs,
milk processors, vets, saleyard
managers, station agents
• BJD Summit Executive Committee
• DPI extension branch directly targeted
every farmer
Lessons for UK
• Need for change management
processes in introducing cost sharing in
UK
• Importance of internet in managing
information flow and responding to false
stories, ‘access to scuttlebutt in real
time’
But not everything is perfect
• Does Australia really have a coherent
underlying philosophy or is it all ad hoc?
• ‘Some shoddy ways we develop
national policy’
• Displacement of agriculture decreasing
• Tensions over animal welfare in three
states where local government
department has lead
That’s all folks
• Thanks for your attention
• Visit our website at:
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fa
c/gld