Winter seasonal calendar
Good biosecurity practices
Moving Day is June 1 and marks the start of the winter season. Thousands of sharemilkers, their herds and equipment are on the move. Farmers shift stock to winter grazing pasture.
The main way M. bovis spreads is when infected cattle are introduced into, or have close and ongoing contact with, an uninfected herd.
So making sure your cattle don’t mix with cattle from other farms unless you’re certain the stock they’re mixing with don’t have M. bovis, is an important way to keep your herds infection-free.
Following best practice biosecurity while moving your animals also minimises risk of spreading M. bovis.
Record all movements in NAIT – the National Animal Identification Tracing system.
Antibiotic dry cow treatment and internal teat sealants need to be administered properly, in a clean environment. Bacterial infection can cause severe mastitis and there’s a risk of M. bovis transmission between cows.
Vets and other contractors coming on to the farm at this time must follow good on-farm biosecurity practices. This includes a “clean on, clean off” policy for all equipment, boots and clothing.
It’s important farmers have good conversations with their graziers and vet about how to manage biosecurity while animals are off the main farm. Discuss how mobs will be kept separate.
If you’re bringing new animals on to your property, make sure you keep them separate for 7 to 10 days. Watch them for any signs of disease and talk to your vet if you’re concerned.
Treat your own animals as new arrivals when they return home, too.
The risk of spreading M. bovis bacteria between farms on machinery is low. But it’s good biosecurity practice to have a “clean on, clean off” policy for both machinery and people arriving and leaving the farm.
If your farm’s under a Notice that restricts cattle movements off your property, you may have concerns about how you’ll feed your cattle over winter or preserve pastures for spring.
We can help with this. This includes moving the boundaries of restricted areas on your farm to create space for grazing or areas that can be preserved for the spring. We can also help you meet operational costs you may incur such as buying feed. Discuss your needs with your Farm Systems Manager.
It may be possible to move your cattle to another property under the same level of legal Notice. This will be decided on a case-by-case basis, depending on your situation.
Beef bulls are a low-risk stock class. But there are still measures you can take to reduce the risk of spreading M. bovis. If buying, determine the health history of the source herd and ensure bulls are transported in clean trucks.
Quarantine them for as long as possible (at least 7 days) from other stock. Keep accurate records detailing how new bulls have been kept separate from home stock.
Calves can contract the disease through direct contact with infected cattle, or by consuming milk from infected cows.
Sharing milk between farms and feeding it to calves is a high-risk activity. Avoid trading raw milk or colostrum if possible. Milk that has the lowest risk of containing M. bovis bacteria comes in 3 forms:
When feeding colostrum to new-born calves, take extra care to ensure it is not infected with M. bovis.
Calves can contract the disease through direct contact with infected cattle, or by consuming milk from infected cows.
Sharing milk between farms and feeding it to calves is a high-risk activity. Avoid trading raw milk or colostrum if possible. Milk that has the lowest risk of containing M. bovis bacteria comes in 3 forms:
When feeding colostrum to new-born calves, take extra care to ensure it is not infected with M. bovis.
Bad weather conditions can mean cattle in close proximity with other animals – on feed pads, in shelter belts and in herd homes.
If herds mix this increases the risk of transmission. M. bovis spreads from animal to animal through close “nose to nose” contact. Between farms it spreads by the movement of infected animals but may not show symptoms.
Sharing milk between farms and feeding it to calves is a high-risk activity. Avoid trading raw milk or colostrum if possible. Milk that has the lowest risk of containing M. bovis bacteria comes in 3 forms:
When feeding colostrum to new-born calves take extra care to ensure it is not infected with M. bovis.
If you’re selling calves there are some simple steps to take to reduce the risk of spreading M. bovis.
It’s vital to take biosecurity practices and animal health history into account. You must register newborns in the NAIT online system to build lifetime animal traceability.
Tagging your calves is only half the job. You also need to activate the tag in the NAIT system to register the animal. This must happen within 180 days of birth, or before their first off-farm movement, whichever comes first.
Find a buyer now for your future weaned calves, if possible. Tell them about your efforts to reduce risk of M. bovis exposure. They’ll want to know about cow and calf health on the farm for the past 2 seasons.
Lifestyle farmers who rear calves are not exempt. You must tag and register your calves even if you have only one on your property.
M. bovis does not infect humans and presents no food safety risk. There’s no concern about eating meat or consuming milk and milk products made from pasteurised milk.
But one of the main ways M. bovis spreads between cattle is by feeding calves infected milk. To limit the risk avoid trading colostrum and milk.
The risk of spreading M. bovis bacteria between farms on machinery is low. But it’s good biosecurity practice to have a “clean on, clean off” policy for both machinery and people arriving and leaving the farm.
If your farm’s under a Notice that restricts cattle movements off your property, you may have worries about how you’ll feed your cattle over winter or preserve pastures for spring.
We can help with this. This includes moving the boundaries of restricted areas on your farm to create space for grazing or areas that can be preserved for the spring. We can also help you meet operational costs you may incur such as buying feed. Discuss your needs with your Farm Systems Manager.
It may be possible to move your cattle to another property under the same level of legal Notice. This will be decided on a case-by-case basis, depending on your situation.
Yards are contaminated with fluid from the noses and mouths of cattle during periods of heavy use. Poorly maintained yards become covered in muck and are hard to disinfect. Graziers should maintain their yards to keep them as clean and dry as possible.
Disinfection of surfaces is less important than preventing direct cattle contact. Allowing a delay between groups of arriving cattle of a day can let sunshine and wind do much of the work, and reduces the need for disinfection.
It’s safer for herd owners to undertake tagging, vaccinating, and drenching at the home farm.
Farm service providers and truckers can help to reduce the risk of spreading disease:
Trucking companies and slink and bobby calf transporters must follow certain guidelines when working with farms under restrictions.
Permits can be issued for vehicles to visit multiple movement-controlled farms on the same trip. Make sure you move the vehicle from low risk to high risk properties, as directed by the transport permit.
Vehicles that have collected animals from a Restricted Place or place under a Notice of Direction can't move onto farms with a lower risk until they have unloaded the animals and been cleaned and disinfected. Under the permit, trucks must be cleaned and disinfected at the end of each movement.
There’s very low risk of spreading the disease to unaffected farms through bobby calf and slink transport. If you're transporting animals from infected farms or farms under controls, make sure you meet their permit conditions.
Same events as July, plus:
Calves can contract the disease through direct contact with infected cattle, or by consuming milk from infected cows.
Sharing milk between farms and feeding it to calves is a high-risk activity. Avoid trading raw milk or colostrum if possible. Milk that has the lowest risk of containing M. bovis bacteria comes in 3 forms:
When feeding colostrum to new-born calves take extra care to ensure it is not infected with M. bovis.
Cows have a poorer immune function during calving. They’re more at risk of disease including metritis, ketosis and milk fever, as well as mastitis and lameness. This increases the likelihood of shedding, or releasing, M. bovis bacteria if it is present.
The main way M. bovis spreads is when infected cattle are introduced into, or have close and ongoing contact with, an uninfected herd.
Make sure your cattle don’t mix with cattle from other farms unless you’re certain the stock they’re mixing with don’t have M. bovis. This is an important way to keep your herds infection-free.
M. bovis can cause untreatable mastitis in dairy and beef cows. Contact your vet if stock show unusual levels of mastitis.
Around 30% of calves infected with M. bovis suffer severe pneumonia. It starts as a hacking cough.
There is very low risk of spreading the disease to unaffected farms through bobby calf and slink transport so this can continue as normal. Truck drivers transporting animals from infected farms or farms under controls must make sure they meet farmers’ permit conditions.
Ensure there are “clean” areas on your farm, where bobby calf and slink pick-ups and other public movements can take place. You could use the tanker track or house driveway. Make sure these areas are well separated from areas where stock is kept.
Farm service providers and contractors can help reduce the risk of spreading disease:
Farmers should use routine on-farm biosecurity practices to minimise risk to their animals. Create designated “clean” areas on your farm, where bobby calf and slink pick-ups and other public movements can take place. You could use the tanker track or house driveway. Make sure these areas are well separated from where you keep stock.
