Insight: How Australian saleyards are tackling biosecurity risks

Diseases and viruses are continuing to threaten Australia’s agriculture industry. We take a deep dive on how saleyards are managing biosecurity risks.

Global disease outbreaks and onshore viruses continue to threaten agricultural industries, while saleyards remain vigilant in their efforts to help prevent any “devastating” effects.

There are currently eight Victorian farms with avian influenza, two in New South Wales and one in the ACT.

The United States is combating a H5N1 avian influenza outbreak, separate to Australia’s strain, which has affected 139 dairy herds and about 97-million poultry.

There is an estimated throughput of about 16.4 million livestock in Australia’s selling centres.

Current emergency animal diseases include foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), lumpy skin disease, African swine fever and avian influenza.

A Regional Livestock Exchange (RLX) spokesperson said biosecurity at its nine sites were managed through several national and state systems, alongside general site management, including animal health declarations.

Its Ballarat site, Victoria’s largest multispecies selling facility, is fitted with its own rainwater catchment system and treatment facility, a four-bay truck wash and more.

The Central Victorian Livestock Exchange has four truck wash bays, which use collected rainwater.

At the Naracoorte Regional Livestock Exchange (NRLE), workers continued to monitor global developments.

NRLE manager Lyndon Harper said biosecurity was a shared responsibility, and people should remain vigilant.

He said planning changes in the past 12 months included disease profiles, better surveillance, revised strategies and further training.

At Australia’s largest cattle selling centre, Maranoa Regional Council described the Roma Saleyards plan as “robust” with signage, isolated areas for ill livestock, routine cleans and traceability records.

Any visitors were expected to wear clean, laundered clothes and boots.

“The welfare of the businesses and communities that rely on safe and healthy practices is

always at the forefront of our minds,” mayor Wendy Taylor said.

Victorian saleyards have signage to help implement livestock standstills during disease outbreaks.

CSIRO Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness expert Frank Wong said scientists could see the Australian outbreaks were unrelated to the H5N1 strain in the US.

“Scientists consider possible transmission from infected birds in Australia’s current H7 bird flu outbreaks into cattle to be low,” Dr Wong said.

He said livestock diseases were causing a “devastating impact” to Australia’s nearest neighbours.

An Animal Health Australia spokesperson said though atypical, poultry sales still presented a risk for disease spreading.

There were nearly 16.4-million sheep and cattle transactions in the 2022-23 financial year.

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry estimated a large multistate FMD outbreak would reduce Australia’s gross domestic product by $23.6 billion over 10 years.

Australian Livestock Market Association (ALMA) president Ken Rogers said ALMA was “keenly aware” of the implications of disease outbreaks.

He said ALMA recognised livestock traceability would be essential for managing disease control, product integrity and market access.

“An effective and efficient national tracing system is the foundation of paddock-to-plate traceability,” Mr Rogers said.