Australia's favourable animal health status is important for maintaining international trade. Consumers can be confident with their product and our farms can remain productive and profitable.
Through the Agricultural Competitiveness White Paper the government has invested $200 million over four years as part of strengthening biosecurity surveillance and analysis to better target critical biosecurity risks and support market access.
Pilot surveillance studies
Some of this funding is helping us conduct a series of surveillance pilot studies to test a new surveillance approach, called ‘structured surveillance’.
The pilots studies focus on a single sector of the livestock industry and may include:
- herd demographics
- productivity
- management and biosecurity practices
- animal health status
- utilisation of veterinary services
- industry specific issues.
Data collection
Data collection may include:
- questionnaires to collect information from producers
- laboratory testing of samples collected from animals - for specific diseases
These studies give us the opportunity to test animals for diseases not yet present in Australia.
Proof of absence will help to support Australia’s favourable animal health status. This helps us to maintain and enhance access to international markets.
Australian Pork Limited have started the pork industry study. It will look at several exotic diseases, including African swine fever. African swine fever has spread through China and has now been detected in Europe but is not present in Australia.
On behalf of Cattle Council Australia - Animal Health Australia have commenced the grazing beef study.
Find out more
This is part of the Australian Government’s Agricultural Competitiveness White Paper, the government’s plan for stronger farmers and a stronger economy.