Agriculture Victoria's Significant Disease Investigation program is playing a critical role in protecting Victorian livestock from emergency animal diseases, with subsidies provided to vets for nearly 370 investigations last financial year (2022-23).
First introduced in 2005, the program is a proactive measure that has boosted Victoria's capacity to detect emergency animal diseases early, with subsidies provided to support private veterinary investigations.
Biosecurity Victoria Executive Director Katherine Clift said the program increases the likelihood of early reporting and helps to encourage ongoing surveillance by animal health professionals.
'Victoria's livestock industries are fortunate to be free of most of the serious diseases that affect animals in other parts of the world,' Dr Clift said.
'Despite this, the threat of many serious diseases entering Australia is increasing. Ongoing surveillance for new or exotic disease is important to protect our livestock and reassure our trading partners of Victoria's favourable disease status.
'It also helps to ensure the early detection of diseases that might impact on trade, public health, biodiversity and farm or regional productivity.'
Early detection of emerging or exotic disease is the key to effective management and this relies on farmers, vets and government working together.
While doing farm visits and treating livestock, veterinarians must remain vigilant and consider the possibility of new, unusual or exotic diseases.
The Significant Disease Investigation program allows veterinarians who investigate and report on outbreaks of unusual or significant animal disease to be paid a subsidy to help cover the cost of the investigation and laboratory fees.
In 2022-2023, Agriculture Victoria subsidised 366 significant disease investigations, including 202 for sheep and goats, 163 for cattle and one pig.
Of these investigations, 89 excluded at least one emergency animal disease (such as anthrax, foot and mouth disease, lumpy skin disease or African swine fever).
The subsidies are paid in part from the Victorian livestock compensation funds through the Livestock Biosecurity Grants Fund Program, which funds programs that prevent, monitor and control diseases.
