Livestock disease surveillance

The enviable animal health status of Western Australia’s (WA) livestock is supported by high quality, appropriate disease investigations. These investigations enable reportable diseases (those of national and trade significance) to be ruled out, or if detected, promote early and rigorous response in line with national agreements. National reporting of WA’s disease investigations and surveillance is critical to provision of evidence to support international market access.

The Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA) provides strategic disease surveillance and testing programs for nationally important diseases as required, such as mad cow disease and bluetongue virus. Fulfilling the requirements of these programs is essential to satisfy international trading partners and to ensure continued market access. In many cases, it also allows preferential access to more lucrative markets for Australian produce.

As part of the livestock disease surveillance program DAFWA supports the Department of Health in notification and control of zoonoses- diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans- and monitors wildlife health where it may intersect with animal health objectives.

Articles

  • The poultry biosecurity checklist summarises the actions needed to protect your poultry and the Western Australian poultry industry from the devastating effects of emergency diseases such as avian

  • Slender iceplant, Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum, is a small, succulent, winter-growing annual weed, most common in the eastern Wheatbelt.

  • Eperythrozoonosis is a disease in sheep and goats caused by the bacterium mycoplasma ovis (formerly known as eperythrozoon ovis).

  • This page describes the causes and signs of salt poisoning of livestock as well as how to treat and prevent the condition.

  • Grass tetany is a highly fatal disease associated with low levels of magnesium in the blood.

  • Pink eye or infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis (IBK) is a common and contagious eye condition that affects cattle of all ages. It is most commonly seen in calves and young stock. 

  • There are multiple causes of infertility, abortion and stillbirths in cows. These include some diseases that are exotic to Western Australia and some zoonotic diseases.

  • Kikuyu (Pennisetum clandestimun) is a subtropical perennial grass with spring to autumn growth.

  • Mastitis is the term for a bacterial infection of the udder. It is most common in ewes raising multiple lambs or with high milk production.

  • Selenium (Se) is now recognised as an essential trace element for ruminants.

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