Livestock & animals

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development supply chain support, research and development and rigorous biosecurity systems underpin the economic success of Western Australia’s livestock industries. In 2011/12, the WA livestock industries contributed 26% of the state’s agriculture, fisheries and forestry production, worth approximately $2 billion at the farm gate.

WA is a world leader in live exports, super fine wool production and dryland sheep and grain systems. Both cattle and sheep systems are focused on export markets to Asia and the Middle East. WA also has innovative, world-class integrated dairy and pork industries meeting local and South East Asian demand for safe, fresh milk and pork. The WA poultry industry is growing strongly as a result of increasing domestic consumption.

Global demand for high-quality, safe animal protein and products produced according to high animal welfare standards will continue to rise in coming years. Increasingly DAFWA will partner with industry -- locally, nationally and internationally -- in transformational business projects to capitalise on this demand.

Articles

  • The flowchart and table below outline who is responsible for recording sheep movements on the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) database.

  • Western Australia has a relatively disease-free status compared with the rest of the world.

  • The National TSE Surveillance Program (NTSESP) conducts surveillance for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE or mad cow disease) in cattle and scrapie in sheep.

  • The National Arbovirus Monitoring Program (NAMP) monitors the distribution of economically important insect-borne viruses of livestock and their vectors.

  • Anthrax is a bacterial disease of animals, most commonly seen in cattle, sheep and goats.

  • Five-day foot bathing is a treatment option that can be used as a disease reduction measure in winter, spring, or at the start of summer to treat clinically mild forms of footrot in sheep.

  • Australia is free of scrapie, which is a fatal, progressive, degenerative disease of the central nervous system of sheep and goats.

  • Ovine campylobacteriosis is an infectious disease of breeding ewes causing abortion in late pregnancy. It is caused by the bacteria Campylobacter fetus ssp. fetus.

  • Salmonellosis of sheep is an infectious bacterial disease causing illness and death. It results from proliferation of salmonella bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract and other organs.

  • Scabby mouth is a viral disease of sheep and goats that causes scabs and pustules, usually around the mouth and face of affected animals.

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