Wyn Grant

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Lessons from the management of cattle diseases in
Australia

• Wyn Grant

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An encounter with an alpaca
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Orange, NSW
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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

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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 arent
  synchronised. States have to listen to domestic
  industries.

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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

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Drivers of Australian policy

• Biodiversity
• Exotic diseases recent EI outbreak
• Importance of exports to agriculture
• Australias reputation for high standards
• Animal welfare concerns of urban population
• UK experience with FMD
• Near neighbours with variable biosecurity
  systems, incidents rising

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Why we can learn from Australia

• Policy learning is possible
• Systematic and reflective thinking on issues
• Institutional innovations
• Holistic approach to biosecurity being developed

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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
  IslandFurneaux Group
• Residual zone Tasmania
• Control zones Victoria, southern SA

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Drivers for BJD policy

• Association with Crohns disease
• Most of benefits we get from Johnes 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

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National Johnes 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

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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 Johnes control programmes (2 more
  than 4 reactors)
• 7 or 8 first clean test depending on zone, 8-10
  if in Cattle MAP, 10 if in BJD Free Zone

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Thats all folks

• Thanks for your attention
• Visit our website at http//www2.warwick.ac.uk/fa
  c/cross_fac/gld