Requirements under the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 and the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Regulations 2013 apply when importing livestock from interstate and/or overseas into Western Australia to protect WA from pests and diseases.
Bovine anaemia due to Theileria orientalis group (BATOG) is a disease of cattle that is caused by the blood parasite Theileria orientalis and spread by the bush tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis).
The importation of livestock into Western Australia and checking of imported livestock at the border is carried out by Quarantine WA (QWA).
Contact details for QWA are outlined below.
The National TSE Surveillance Program (NTSESP) conducts surveillance for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE or mad cow disease) in cattle and scrapie in sheep.
Western Australia has laws that control chemical use on livestock. These laws protect people, animals and the environment from harm, and maintain access to overseas markets. Chemical users must follow label directions, not use unregistered veterinary chemicals (e.g.
Thiamine, also known as vitamin B1, is normally produced by bacteria in the rumen of cattle and sheep on well-balanced roughage diets.
Thiamine deficiency reduces energy availability to the brain, which leads to a type of brain degeneration called polioencephalomalacia or PEM.
Preventing lead residues in livestock protects human food safety and Western Australia's ongoing access to international markets. Lead is highly toxic to livestock, particularly cattle, and can result in sudden death.
In Australia, it is illegal to feed restricted animal material (RAM) to ruminants (cattle, sheep, goats, deer, camels and alpacas). This is known as the 'ruminant feed ban'.
Botulism is a rapid onset, usually fatal disease caused by the botulinum toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum.
Typical signs include hindlimb weakness progressing to paralysis, collapse and death.
Vaccines can prevent a wide range of diseases that cause reduced production, fertility or death in cattle and economic losses to Western Australian producers.
