Health, Welfare, Regulations

Optimum health and welfare is important for any farming or agricultural endeavour, whatever the ivestock, but it is crucial in the keeping of rare breeds. The smaller populations are particularly vulnerable to any disease outbreaks and although the rare breeds are naturally hardy, they are not immune to potential health threats. The fact the breeds have been nurtured throughout many decades means it is not as easy to replace a breed, that may be completely wiped out by a major disease outbreak.

The Government authorities have put in place a number of regulations to assist with welfare, biosecurity and the tracking of livestock, so any health problems can be traced back to the source. The tracking may also help to reunite stock and their owners in times of natural disasters.

| Health | Welfare | Regulations |

Health

Excellent information that is species based can be found on the Animal Health Australia Biosecurity at this link http://www.farmbiosecurity.com.au/livestock/

| Notifiable Diseases | Avian Flu |

Notifiable Diseases

Early recognition and reporting of serious and exotic diseases is one of the major factors influencing the chance of controlling the disease and halting its spread. Here is the list of notifiable diseases for each State:

https://www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity-trade/pests-diseases-weeds/animal/notifiable

Avian flu (H5N1)

1. What is bird flu?

Understanding H5 Bird Flu Webinar. Stock Sense. Victorian Farmers Federation

2. Symptoms

Common Signs in Flocks

Sudden Death: High and rapid mortality rate in the flock, often with no prior signs.
Physical Changes: Swollen head, eyelids, comb, and wattles, alongside a purple or blue discoloration (cyanosis).
Production Drops: A sudden, sharp decrease or total stop in egg production, including soft-shelled or misshapen eggs
Behavior & Movement: Extreme lethargy, lack of appetite or thirst, and a ruffled feather appearance.

Respiratory and Nervous Symptoms

Respiratory: Gasping for air, nasal discharge, coughing, and sneezing.
Neurological: Tremors, lack of coordination, a twisted or unusual head/neck posture, and an inability to stand or walk.Digestive: Watery or green-tinted diarrhoea

3. Confirmed location trackers/updates

Australian Dept of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. Avian Influenza updates. https://www.agriculture.gov.au/campaigns/birdflu
Agriculture Victoria. H5N1 Bird flu
NSW Government. H5N1 Updates
South Australia Dept of Primary Industry and Regions. H5 Bird Flu Testing Updates
Biosecurity Tasmania. H5 Bird Flu
Western Australia Dept of Primary Industries and Regional Development Weekly Bird Flu Update
Public interest GitHub tracker. Avian flu tracker.

4. Biosecurity

Animal Health Australia. Farm Biosecurity - Chickens.
Dept of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture. National Farm Biosecurity Manual: Poultry Production
Dept of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture. National Water Biosecurity Manual: Poultry Production

5. Risk assessments

Risk assessment of H5 bird flu in Australian dairy cattle and other livestock - Australian Dept of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Risk assessment for native species. Australian Dept of Climate Change, Energy, The Environment, and Water

6. Information sheets

Information sheets for Avian flu (Australian Dept of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry):

Welfare

Codes of Practice for Animal Welfare

Codes of Practice for the welfare of livestock can be found on the following links.

Other relevant codes can be found at https://animalwelfarestandards.net.au/

Regulations

Property Identification Codes

If you own sheep, cattle, (including bison and buffalo) horses, donkeys goats, pigs, deer, alpacas, camels or llamas, regardless of whether it is one or many, you are required to have a PIC Property Identification Code. This also applies to poultry, emus, ostriches, depending on the number. If you agist livestock you are also required to have a PIC.

The PICs can generally be applied for online and in some States they are free. The links for each State or Territory are as follows:

Victoria https://pic.agriculture.vic.gov.au/
New South Wales https://www.lls.nsw.gov.au/livestock/pics
Queensland requires registration as biosecurity entity prior to the allocation of a PIC. https://www.business.qld.gov.au/industries/farms-fishing-forestry/agriculture/biosecurity/entity-registration/register. Once registered a PIC is issued.
South Australia http://pir.sa.gov.au/biosecurity/animal_health/property_identification_code_pic
Western Australia https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/livestock-ownership
Tasmania https://nre.tas.gov.au/agriculture/multifaceted-agriculture/animal-industries/identifying-selling-moving-livestock/about-livestock-identification/property-identification-code-(pic)-registration
Northern Territory https://nt.gov.au/industry/agriculture/livestock/get-a-property-identification-code
Australian Capital Territory https://www.environment.act.gov.au/parks-conservation/plants-and-animals/Biosecurity/animal-health/livestock-management

Livestock Movements

When moving livestock from one property to another, owners must follow mandatory requirements, depending on the species and where they are going to and from. The details for each State can be found here:

https://animalwelfarestandards.net.au/welfare-standards-and-guidelines/land-transport/

When livestock are purchased, sold or moved, their details must also be entered on the NLIS database. This is the duty of the purchaser. Details can be found here:

https://www.nlis.com.au/NLISDocuments/Livestock%20movements%20(Aug%2014).pdf

PigPass

PigPass was developed to track the movement of live pigs throughout Australia and to help protect the Australian Pork Industry. It is essential to have PigPass whether you have one or many pigs or a pet mini pig.

Mandatory reporting of all pig movements will be introduced in all States and Territories as from February 1st, 2018.

All information relating to PigPass can be found here:

https://pigpass.australianpork.com.au/faq

Poultry Regulations

Poultry: Property Identification Codes (PICs) and Local Government Regulations

The non-commercial keeping of poultry requires compliance with relevant State and Territory PIC arrangements, as well as with local government regulations including regulations on numbers that can be kept and the keeping of roosters. The Rare Breeds Trust of Australia does not itself issue permits for the keeping of poultry (rare or not rare).