Katherine Rural Review Christmas Edition Produced by Katherine Research Station
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Katherine Rural Review Christmas Edition Produced by Katherine Research Station Edition 244 December 2002 Bovine Johnes Disease Mauricio Perez-Ruiz. Veterinary Officer. KRS. Ph: 89 739 756 Bovine Johne’s Disease (BJD) is At the end of July 2002 as a result of trace caused by the bacterium forward procedures using the NT Waybill Mycobacterium avium System, twenty properties in the Katherine subspecies paratuberculosis. region were served with quarantine orders. This is a serious disease of The rest of the dairy herd left at Katherine ruminants that causes were previously quarantined and these persistent scouring and loss of animals were destroyed early in July by body condition resulting in eventual departmental staff. death. There is no treatment for this disease in infected animals and self- By the end of September, all target cattle in the Katherine Region had been located and cure does not occur. The presence of a management plan had been agreed upon this disease on a property results in by all property owners. By the same time, loss of market access to many markets. quarantine orders had been revoked for ten properties and suspect status declared for Two cows from the remnants of the ten properties. The finding of two infected Brigalow dairy herd were found to be cows, trace forward, eradication of these infected with Bovine Johne’s Disease two animals and quarantine and eradication organisms late in June 2002. These of in-contact stock demonstrated that the animals were positive reactors to a blood mechanisms in place are effective in the test but did not exhibit clinical disease. They Northern Territory. were destroyed and sampled according to the national BJD Standard Definitions and Other property owners with dairy cattle ex- Rules. Subsequent tissue culture was Brigalow herd have also been contacted and positive; however, faecal culture was management plans have been developed negative for both animals. for these properties as well. Results from the Victorian Institute of Animal Science and A management plan for the animals Berrimah Veterinary Laboratory do not originated from the Brigalow herd dispersal suggest the presence of BJD in any of the was formulated. The program was animals sampled so far in the Northern designed to assess the risk of Territory. establishment of disease on an individual property basis and depending on the risk assessment undergo a slaughter (the Katherine Rural Review Katherine Research Station PO Box 1346 preferred approach but not mandatory) or KATHERINE NT 0851 testing program to minimise the risk of will be closed from the Tel: 89 739 770 disease or future disease. Fax: 89 739 777 24th to the 30th of [email protected] December over Christmas ISSN 0156-9589 Buy the hay with the right form Daryl Parker. KRS. Ph: 89739 724 At a recent Katherine meeting, Top End hay While the form is not a guarantee, it provides producers agreed to use locally developed buyers with a detailed description of the hay and Voluntary Vendor Declaration forms to describe weed management practices if they have not hay offered for sale. had the opportunity to see the standing crop or hay before purchase. This is a demonstration of their commitment to satisfy requirements under the new Weed The form will be used in conjunction with a Management Act and offers buyers a formal documented weed management plan, which is description of the hay they are selling, chemicals currently being developed for the hay industry used and other weed management practices. All through a series of hay producers meeting being buyers can use this information when purchasing convened by NTAg* and DBIRD. hay, particularly those involved with a quality assurance program such as Cattlecare. The Voluntary Vendor Declaration form was developed following concerns raised at a weeds The Voluntary Vendor Declaration form: forum organised by the Katherine Pastoral Industry Advisory Committee. The form was ! Is voluntarily supplied by a grower to a developed as a joint effort between the DBIRD, prospective buyer NTAg, KPIAC, the Katherine District Farmers ! Contains information describing the lot of hay Association, and the VRDCA. offered for sale including where and when it was produced The Voluntary Vendor Declaration form use is ! Provides information about weed currently self-regulating, but in the future it may management practices used form part of an independently audited Quality ! Gives details of chemicals applied to the crop Assurance program for the hay industry. during the season ! Contains information a buyer can use when Participating hay growers are responding to deciding about purchasing a particular lot of increasing requests from the market for hay. information, and recognise their obligations under the new weed management act. The success Although it is a voluntary process, buyers can of any voluntary scheme such as this will ask hay suppliers for the declaration. It is part ultimately come from buyers who use the forms of a quality assurance system for both buyers in good faith. and sellers of hay, regardless of whether they are involved in a formal Quality Assurance *Northern Territory Agriculture Association Inc. program. (NTAg) is the new name for Northern Territory Irrigation, Grain and Fodder Producers Association. KRR edition 244 From the pen of the Big Fella! Jack Peart. Director Pastoral, Regional Director KRS. I nearly started out by saying that I’d just arrived in Katherine – it’s actually been six months since I moved down from Darwin! Hardly just arrived. This is the first time I’ve put anything in the Rural Review so it’s a general hello to all in the Region, especially those I haven’t caught up with yet. I won’t bore you with details, but I’ve been with the Department since 1989 when I started in Alice Springs as an Animal Production Officer, then had a few years in Tennant Creek before moving to Darwin as Director Agriculture and then Director Pastoral. For a variety of reasons, most of them positive, it was decided to move the position of Director Pastoral to Katherine and combine it with the Regional Director role. It was a very sound move, increasing the level of contact between the Pastoral group and the pastoral industry. The shift out of Berrimah to Katherine is also a start in relocating other positions into the region as they become vacant. meetings, and the Cattlemen’s Association will be distributing copies to members very I am very pleased to be in Katherine and am now shortly. well settled into a rural block. Please have a read of this plan and give us The Government is focussing on an economic your feedback. development strategy for the NT and as part of this, we have put together a draft development plan for the As this is the last Rural Review before the Pastoral Industry. The plan is very much a draft and end of the year, on behalf of all Katherine simply provides a base of issues and strategies to and regional staff, I wish you all the best for stimulate industry comment. Christmas and the New Year. Mostly, I wish you a speedy end to this extended dry A copy of this draft plan should reach you in the near season. future, some have been distributed at recent NTCA REMEMBER THIS AT CHRISTMAS TIME Therefore, according to EVERY According to the Alaska Department historical depiction of Santa’s of Fish and Game, while both male reindeer, EVERY single one of them, and female reindeer grow antlers in from Rudolph to Blitzen, must be a the summer each year, male reindeer girl. drop their antlers at the beginning of winter, usually late November to mid- We should’ve known. ONLY women December. Female reindeer retain would be able to drag a fat-belly man their antlers till after they give birth in the spring. in a red velvet suit all around the world in one night and not get lost. page ...............3 Katherine Needles don't go on Trucking vaccine guns any old Yards how Geoffry Fordyce. Principal Animal Scientist. QDPI. Ph: 07 4754 6123 Fx: 07 4787 4998 As of the 1st of If you have injected a mob of cattle with a repeat-vaccinator gun, you will December 2002, the probably have experienced two common problems: following time limits · Persistent post-vaccination lumps, especially after using oil-based will apply for stock vaccines. held in the Katherine · High resistance to injection on the first attempt, rectified by deeper Trucking Yards: insertion of the needle at a more perpendicular angle. Cattle are free up to five days, then a charge will be made at $1.00 per day per head. ✔ ✖ Buffaloes will have only one day in the Skin yards, then they will have to be moved. For use of the yards Subcutaneous space phone 89739754 or 89739739 during work hours, or 89710503 Underlying tissue after hours. By Order of the Regional Director – Both of these problems often have the same cause: incorrect orientation of Dept. Business the needle on the syringe. Industry and Resource Development A needle is a pipe cut at an angle with razor sharp leading edges. The Katherine objective when vaccinating is to get the opening of the needle resting between the skin and underlying tissues. This is achieved by orientating the needle so that at entry at about 45o to the skin, THE BEVEL IS PARALLEL Only leave WITH THE SKIN. me here for one day If the bevel faces away from the skin, the opening of the needle may still be hey in the dermis at first injection attempt, thus the high resistance. A more BOSS!! perpendicular entry is required to counter this, which results is the leading edge of the needle cutting into underlying tissues, with potential for intramuscular vaccine injection - thus the lumps.