Individual producers should soon be able to receive feedback on the disease status of their sheep, if the animals have been monitored as part of the NSW Sheep Health Monitoring Program.

NSW DPI special surveillance projects manager Dr Ian Links said the program would provide important information for both the NSW sheep industry and individual producers on a wide range of endemic diseases associated with significant production loss on-farm or during processing in the abattoir.

Since early 2006, experienced inspectors have been checking the internal organs of adult sheep at the major NSW export abattoirs including Dubbo, Goulburn,Wallangarra and Deniliquin. Over 3600 direct consignments comprising 960,000 sheep were monitored in 2006.

The table at the bottom of this page shows the conditions being monitored by this exciting new program and the total number of detections during 2006. These conditions include liver fluke, hydatids, nodule worm, bladder worm (Cysticercus),OJD vaccine lesions, cheesy gland (CLA), pneumonia and arange of other conditions.

Further information on these conditions including distribution maps can be obtained from the NSW Sheep Health Monitoring website http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/livestock/sheep/sheep/shmp

These results are currently provided on a regular basis to the abattoirs to assist with their quality assurance.

NSW DPI is now exploring options for mailing to individual producers the disease status results for their sheep, if the animals have been monitored as part of the NSW Sheep Health Monitoring Program. Any producer who does not wish to receive feedback on this monitoring is requested to contact NSW DPI (details at end of story).

The broader statistical information on the overall surveillance results will be posted to the NSW DPI website www.dpi.nsw.gov.au

The information collected highlights some important points.

Hydatids were detected at quite a low level (two per cent of consignments) but are very important due to the human health risks. This is a timely reminder that producers should be careful about feeding offal to their dogs and should worm their dogs regularly to control the Echinococcus tapeworm which acts as a source of infection.

Liver Fluke: many consignments had three per cent or more livers affected causing significant loss to the processors (approximately $1 per affected liver). Many flocks had 30 per cent or more affected livers indicating poor fluke control and significant on-farm production loss. Effective control measures are available.

Bladder Worm (Cysticercustenuicollis) was found to be a very common cause of liver damage and, like liver fluke, causes rejection of livers at slaughter. It is the cystic form of a tapeworm found in dogs and cats. The larvae migrate through the liver and leave tortuous white tracks or form watery cysts on the surface of the liver.

Cheesy gland (CLA) is easily preventable by vaccination yet around 17 per cent of consignments had at least one animal with affected lymph nodes that can result in trimming of carcases.

The NSW Sheep Health Monitoring Program has been jointly funded by Wool-Producers Australia, Sheepmeat Council of Australia and NSW DPI.

Contact your Rural Lands Protection Board or NSW DPI sheep livestock officer or your veterinary or animal health advisor.

Any producer who does not wish to receive feedback on this monitoring is requested to contact NSW DPI by fax on 02 6938 1995 or email ian.links@dpi.nsw.gov.au