Livestock Health – Issue 5 Winter 2016 | 1

A new approach to Johne’s Disease in cattleProducers are now required to manage Bovine Johne’s disease (BJD) under a new approach introduced recently across the country.

From 1st July 2016 there is a new risk-based approach to how Australia will deal with Johne’s infection in cattle and goats. Rather than controlling the disease through government regulation, producers will be responsible for managing the Johne’s disease risk on their property and reducing disease spread.

Under the changes, properties are no longer placed in quarantine, BJD zoning has been removed and it is no longer mandatory to disclose the Dairy Assurance Score when selling cattle from a dairy holding.

The new approach treats Johne’s disease as just one of many diseases that producers must manage by applying good biosecurity practices. This will require producers to make informed decisions about the opportunities and risks associated with purchasing livestock.

Farmers must now take greater care when buying stock or accepting agistment stock onto their property in order to avoid introduction of BJD. Cattle from Victoria and dairy farms have a higher risk of being infected with BJD. Buyers should always ask for information about BJD status before buying stock. This information can be found on National Cattle and Goat Health Declarations. If sellers refuse to provide a declaration, it should be treated with suspicion. This should

be considered as part of your ‘risk assessment’ when buying stock.

Bovine Johne’s Disease (BJD) is an incurable disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium paratuberculosis. Cattle infected with Johne’s disease have chronic scours, wasting and eventual death. They do not respond to treatment. Cattle are commonly infected as calves but do not show clinical signs until they are greater than two years of age.

Johne’s Disease remains a notifiable disease, which means it must be reported when detected, because it affects access to some export markets.

Local Land Services District Veterinarians will still provide you with advice on Johne’s disease. If you believe your stock could be infected with Johne’s disease please contact the Hunter Local Land Services District Veterinarian team as soon as possible.

Further reading:

• https://www.animalhealthaustralia.com.au/what-we-do/endemic-disease/johnes-disease/national-johnes-disease-project/new-approach-jd-cattle/

• http://www.farmbiosecurity.com.au/toolkit/declarations-and-statements/

Issue 5 – Winter 2016

Livestock Health news

ALSO IN THIS EDITION:

• Filling the feed gap• Don’t bring in Vibrio when buying bulls• Theileria risk for non coastal cattle• Horses and event biosecurity• Farm biosecurity and emergency animal disease preparations• Clostridial diseases

Your District Veterinarians: Jane Bennett , Jim Kerr, Kylie Greentree, Digby Rayward and Lyndell Stone

2 | L ivestock Health – Issue 5 Winter 2016

Filling the feed gapWinter provides added stress to livestock. Winter pastures are generally inadequate in both quality and quantity for cattle production and on top of this cold, wet windy weather increases feed requirements by about 20%.This adds to the challenges of keeping breeding stock in good condition or maintaining growth rates in younger stock throughout the winter feed gap.

Whilst good rainfalls have been beneficial to fodder crops, pasture growth has been slow and most producers in the hunter have paddocks of short green feed only.

Feed supplementation in this situation can show long term benefits for producers with better lactation, improvements in fertility at next joining and improved growth rates in young cattle. The biggest mistake most people make is not feeding enough. Cow condition shouldn’t drop below condition score three for successful joining and heifers need consistent growth to reach a spring ready to join mating weight of around 280 -320 kg, depending on breed.

To be effective, the supplement you use should make up for the main nutrient deficiencies in the paddock feed. When choosing supplements you need to identify the most limiting component – energy or protein – and select a supplement which contains high levels of this.

Dry feed is usually deficient in protein. Short green feed is deficient in energy.Start feeding those animals with greatest need e.g. pregnant cows with low condition score or weaners below critical weights. Make sure your feeding method minimizes any disruption to rumen function, cost it out and compare pricing. Monitoring feed consumption, liveweight and condition

will assess the level of success.

Short green feed and lack of standing feed means most livestock require increased energy which can best be supplied by grain or a mix of grain and hay. Lactating cows require roughage and should be fed no more than 80% grain with at least 20% hay. In cold weather all livestock require some hay as part of the ration.

Grain must be introduced slowly to avoid acidosis in the rumen and is used more efficiently if cracked or rolled. Higher protein alternatives such as lupins, peas, cotton seed meal or white cottonseed can be fed with hay as well.

If abundant dry feed is available, non- protein nitrogen sources, such as urea, can be effective in lick blocks or roller drums with molasses and water. Commercial lick blocks can cost three to four times as much as using legume grains (e.g. lupins) or protein meals.

When sourcing any feed off farm be aware of possible chemical residues and ideally buy feed which comes with a Commodity Vendor Declaration, Fodder Vendor Declaration or By product Vendor Declaration.

The following table from NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) gives recommendations on the type of supplements best used in particular feed situations. Remember that winter conditions increase these feed requirements by 20%.

Although based on full hand feeding requirements, the next table from NSW DPI can be useful for producers wanting to feed varying mixed rations to livestock. Weights can be adjusted depending on what feed is available as pasture.

(a) During periods of cold weather, these levels should be increased by 20% using hay if possible (3 kg hay is equivalent to 2 kg grain).

(b) For young stock, protein levels should be at least 9% for them to continue growing. It would be better to lot feed these cattle for production.

(c) High levels of grain cause cows to milk poorly. Feed at least 12.5 kg hay/head/day with 7.4 kg grain/head/day.

When costing out and calculating feed requirements the Department of Primary Industries Drought Feed Calculator App (http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/content /agriculture/emergency/drought/drought-feed-calculator-app) for smartphones and tablets is an easy to use tool, which provides guidance on the amount of feed you need to purchase per head of cattle and cost differences between feed types.

Supplementary Feeding RecommendationsAvailable feed Class of stock Supplement Frequency

Plentiful dry feed

• Digestibility of pasture limits intake

• Protein supplements increase pasture intake

Cows and calves, dry adult stock

Urea/molasses, mix 60g urea/head/day

OR

High-protein grains, 0.5-1.0kg/head/day

OR

Protein meals, 0.3-0.7kg/head/day

Continuous access

Feed every second day

Feed twice weekly

Weaners Supplement and frequency as for other classes of stock, but high-protein grains or meals preferred.

Short green feed

• Quantity of pasture limits intake

• Feed energy supplements

Cows and calves

All dry cattle

Good quality hay, 3-4kg/head/day

OR

Cereal grains, 1-2kg/head/day

Hay, 2-3kg/head/day

OR

Creal grain, 1-2kg/head/day

Feed 2-3 times/week

Feed 2-3 times/week

Deteriorating dry feed

• Quantity and digestibility restrict intake

• Feed energy/protein supplement mixes

• Full hand feeding follows

Cows and calves

Dry stock

Molasses/urea/protein meal

OR

Grain/protein meal

Grain/protein seeds or meals

Continuous access

Feed daily or 3 times/week

Feed daily or 3 times/week

Maintenance feed requirements (“as fed”) for full hand feeding of cattleFeed options: minimum weight (kg) per day ‘as fed’

Class of stock + bodyweightGrain

(12 ME) OR

Hay

(8.5 ME) OR50:50 grain: hay mix OR

80:20 grain: hay mix OR

Silage (30% dry matter and 9 ME)

Expected weight gain/day

Weaners (200 kg) 2.5 3.5 3.0 2.5 12.0 0.2kg (b)

Yearlings (250 kg) 3.0 4.0 3.5 3.0 15.0 0.1kg (b)

Adult dry stock (450 kg) 4.7 7.2 5.9 5.2 20.0 nil

Breeders 6 months pregnant (500 kg)

6.0 9.6 7.8 6.7 26.4 nil

Breeders, lactating (500 kg) - 12.8 10.4 9.9 (c) 35.2 nil

Livestock Health – Issue 5 Winter 2016 | 3

Don’t bring in Vibrio when buying bullsNew bulls will shortly be making their way to herds in preparation for a Spring joining. Whether you are buying, leasing or loaning a new bull, the health history of the bull is crucial and should be a key part of bull selection to avoid bringing Vibriosis into your breeding herd.

Vibriosis is a veneral disease of cattle caused by a bacteria (also known as bovine venereal Camplylobacter) which is transmitted by infected bulls to breeding females. It is one of the most important infectious venereal diseases of cattle in Australia as it is a major cause of infertility and abortion.

When vibrio is introduced into a clean herd, by an infected bull, conception rates can plummet to around 40% as the bacteria mostly causes early foetal loss.

It is impossible to tell if a bull is infected based on appearance as an infected bull doesn’t display any symptoms. Fortunately there are several simple and effective strategies to avoid inadvertently introducing Vibrio into your herd.

Buying pre-vaccinated bulls is the most reliable way to avoid the losses that the disease will cause. Alternatively you can vaccinate all new bulls on arrival for Vibrio. The course of two vaccinations should be completed at least one month before joining.

Producers should be aware however that purchasing older unvaccinated bulls and then undertaking vaccination is a higher risk strategy as they have numerous preputial folds that hide bacteria. Younger bulls are a better option. Whilst vaccination can be curative, any infected bulls will most likely also need specific antibiotic therapy for assured resolution of the disease.

With time females can clear the infection and generate immunity so that they can successfully conceive at a later serving. But this can take two to four months. A small percentage of females might suffer permanent infertility or not clear the infection.

Vibriosis is one of the key diseases District and Private Veterinarians look for when investigating herd infertility, low conception rates or unusually drawn out calving periods. The general consensus is that Vibrio is found in many herds and the Vibrio vaccine isn’t used nearly enough.

Please also ensure Clostridial vaccinations are up-to-date. A loss of a bull through Clostridial disease is a risk, particularly with a change of property and feed.When buying stock make sure you ask for a completed Cattle Health Declaration whereby the vendor declares the animal’s health and vaccination history to help you assess the risk of your purchase from a biosecurity perspective.

Contact your District Veterinarian to discuss any further questions you have about this.

Further reading:

• https://www.animalhealthaustralia.com.au/

• http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/110043/vibriosis-of-cattle.pdf

Theileria risk for non coastal cattleTheileriosis is a disease of cattle which can cause a fatal anemia (lack of red blood cells). The disease is caused by a parasite carried primarily by bush ticks. Coastal-bred cattle are invariably infected when young and are immune into adult hood. Cattle introduced from inland areas are particularly at risk, as they arrive without the immunity coastal cattle develop as calves.

If naive cattle are introduced to the coast where Theileria is present, they should be watched closely from about four 6weeks after arrival for signs of theileriosis, and managed in a paddock that is not hazardous for weak cattle affected by anaemia.

The crisis period often occurs 6-8 weeks after arrival, so that bulls arriving in late August or early spring are discovered to be critically ill just when the new owner wants to put them out for joining. Treatment options are very limited. Time and nursing care is the only real solution, apart from blood transfusions in valuable animals.

Introducing pregnant cattle from inland areas is also a high risk strategy as many introduced breeders have aborted or died as a result of Theileria infection.If you are unaware of Theileria and considering introducing bulls or breeding cattle to the coast, please consider timing and the Theileria risk. A chat with your District Veterinarian or local private veterinarian before purchase or movement is strongly recommended.

District Veterinarian Kylie Greentree collecting a preputial sample from a bull to rule out venereal diseases (Vibriosis and Tritrichmoniasis), as a cause of low calving rates in a beef herd.

4 | L ivestock Health – Issue 5 Winter 2016

Horses and event biosecurityHorse riding and ownership is an increasingly popular pastime. Horse events abound in the Hunter region and include pony club, eventing, show jumping, dressage, polo crosse, polo, camp drafting, team penning, gymkhana and adult riding clubs, and agricultural and breed society shows.

Movement of horses between home and competition or training days means that there is an increased risk of the spread of pests and diseases between horses from different locations. Biosecurity is all about reducing this risk.

A major component of biosecurity is our ability to trace where livestock and horses are kept, in what numbers, and being able to trace their movements.

As part of this traceability, properties are allocated a Property Identification Code (PIC). Anyone who has livestock, including cattle, sheep, horses, goats, pigs, camelids and greater than 100 poultry, is required to register for a PIC through Local Land Services. This allows a quick and effective response to be mounted in the event of a disease outbreak.

Whether your horse is kept on a farm or even just a house block, you need to apply for a PIC if you don’t already have one. If you agist your horse on someone else’s property or stable you need to ensure that they have a PIC and that you have a record of it and permission to use it.

You will notice that most horse events will require some form of Horse Health Declaration which states that the horse has been well in the past few days. Most entries will also ask for a record of the PIC where the horse is kept. This information is an important part of ensuring the health and safety of your horse and the others at the event. It’s all just about making sure we’re all working together.

For more details about PICs, contact your nearest Local Land Services office (http://hunter.lls.nsw.gov.au/our-region/contact-us).

Clostridial diseasesDistrict Veterinarians continue to find stock deaths due to Clostridial diseases (mainly blackleg and pulpy kidney but also tetanus) on properties with inadequate vaccination programs in place. These deaths can be easily prevented by ensuring vaccinations with 5 in 1 or 7 in 1 are up-to-date.

Black leg most often affects cattle aged between six months and two years of age. It is commonly seen in winter and spring when the grass is short and cattle consume spores when grazing close to the ground. Pulpy kidney risk is increased with a change of season or a change of feed.

Please ensure cattle vaccinations are up to date and booster vaccinations are provided a fortnight before high risk periods.

Farmer fined for non-compliance with NLISA 71 year old Clarkefield man was recently fined $400, plus costs of $2579, after pleading guilty to dispatching 10 cattle to a saleyards without proper identification. The man pleaded guilty in Court after he was charged with dispatching 10 of 19 cattle without being properly identified with National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) tags. Non-compliance with the legislation is a serious offence in that the consequences of non-compliance could result in real and far-reaching economic and market impacts (Source Stock & Land - http://www.stockandland.com.au/story/3986725/fine-for-failure-to-comply-with-nlis / ).

Stock identification with Local Land Services

Local Land Services are key partners in Australia’s National Livestock Identification System. Under the scheme, movements of cattle, sheep and goats between properties with different Property Identification Codes (PICs) are recorded in the national database. Local Land Services allocates PICs and keeps a register of PIC allocations. You can find out more about PICs on the Hunter Local Land Services website (http://hunter.lls.nsw.gov.au/livestock/pics).

Please note that as of 1 September 2016 Hunter Local Land Services will no longer be selling ordinary Leader NLIS tags for cattle and sheep. All Hunter Local Land Services offices that currently sell emergency NLIS tags for urgent situations will continue to do so. NLIS Leader tags are available from local or online rural supply stores.

Further reading:

• http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/content/agriculture/livestock/nlis

• https://www.nlis.com.au/

Livestock Health – Issue 5 Winter 2016 | 5

Farm biosecurity and emergency animal disease preparationsHunter Local Land Services staff have undertaken two Emergency Animal Disease (EAD) exercises in recent months. The first was a practical session at our Tocal office to ensure we are ready to respond to an emergency exotic or endemic disease threat and the second, a nationwide Foot and Mouth Disease exercise in Tamworth.

An outbreak of an EAD such as Foot and Mouth Disease, Anthrax or Avian Influenza, could have a devastating impact on livestock production in our region. An outbreak could close domestic and international markets, severely affecting the livelihood of farms and local towns and costing Australia billions of dollars.

Managing an EAD threat, particularly in the early stages until a wider state or national response is initiated, is a key activity of Local Land Services District Veterinarians and Biosecurity staff. Our initial role is to diagnose suspected EAD cases and take steps to contain the disease until a broader multi-agency response is initiated.

In keeping with this role, the practical exercise at Tocal was to ensure EAD kits and personal protective equipment use is up to speed for activities on infected properties, including sampling and entry and exit procedures. These activities must be undertaken with great care to ensure that the disease is contained and that personal protection is maintained when dealing with biological substances that can sometimes be very harmful to human health.

In June, Hunter Local Land Services Customer Service staff, Kirstin Bisley and Louise Cassidy, joined participants from around Australia in the National Sheepcatcher II exercise to test sheep and goat traceability.

The real-time exercise simulated an emergency disease outbreak in the sheep industry. Local Command Centres were set up in Wagga, Dubbo and Tamworth, with the State Command Centre in Orange.

The exercise tested the system, built skills and knowledge of the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) database, and identified where staff would be best utilised in the event of an actual disease outbreak. It also developed and strengthened relationships between participating groups.

Prevention or early detection of an EAD is our best opportunity to limit impacts. Your Local Land Services District Veterinarian can advise you on biosecurity practices to protect your farm and livestock enterprise.

If you notice unusual illnesses or multiple deaths in your herd or flock and suspect an Emergency Animal Disease, please contact your District Veterinarian immediately or call the 24 hour emergency disease hotline on 1800 675 888.

Hunter Local Land Services has also recently designed and developed some farm biosecurity signage for your use. Please call Kyra on 4939 8967 to order yours.

Staff got up to speed, at the practical session at Tocal, with the use of EAD kits and personal protective equipment to contain disease and protect themselves when dealing with biological substances.

Your District VeterinariansDigby Rayward - Paterson 4939 8966 or 0427 493 617

Kylie Greentree - Maitland 4932 8866 or 0428 498 687

Jane Bennett - Scone 02 6540 2419 or 0427 322 311

Lyndell Stone - Wingham 6553 4233 or 0429 532 855

Jim Kerr - Tocal/Singleton 4939 8966 (Tocal), 6572 2944 (Singeton) or 0429 532 855

For more information about Hunter Local Land services:

1300 795 299

admin.hunter@lls.nsw.gov.au

www.lls.nsw.gov.au/hunter

www.facebook.com/HunterLLS

Hunter Local Land Services 816 Tocal Road (Private Bag 2010) Paterson, NSW 2421 Australia