Parasitology Commons^™

Sheep Updates 2003 - Plenaries, Ashley Mercy, David Scobie, Neil Buchanan, Kevin Bell, John Milton, Graeme Martin, Bob Hall, Maurie Stephen, Rob Woodgate

Sheep Updates

This session covers eight papers from different authors:1. Biosecurity in the sheep industry will improve production and profits Ashley Mercy, Department of Agriculture, Western Australia 2. Easy care sheep David Scobie, AgResearch, PO Box 60 Lincoln, 8152, New Zealand 3. Targeting the market’s requirements - live sheep exports Neil Buchanan, Manager Animal Health Operations, Primary Industries & Resources, South Australia 4. Setting flock breeding objectives Kevin Bell, Sheep Management and Production Consultants, Kojonup WA 5. Future feeding of sheep in Western Australia John Milton and Graeme Martin, The University of Western Australia 6. Recipe for getting back into Sheep Bob …

Control Of Mediterranean Fruit Fly (Medfly) In Backyards, Sonya Broughton, Francis De Lima

Bulletins 4000 -

The Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Medfly) is thought to originate from tropical Africa. It is a pest in many areas of the world including Western Australia. It was first detected at Claremont in 1895 and is now found as far south as Esperance and as far north as Derby. The main area of infestation extends from Carnarvon to Bunbury.

Miscellaneous Publication 6/2001 - Sheep And Goat Industries Biosecurity Plan, Department Of Agriculture Western Australia, Government Of Western Australia

Biosecurity published reports

StockGuard has been initiated to develop a series of biosecurity plans for the animal industries in Western Australia. Through StockGuard, representatives from the animal industries have been working with the Department of Agriculture to identify the major threats to each of the animal industries and to develop action plans detailing how these threats will be managed.

The recent Foot and Mouth outbreak in the United Kingdom is a stark example of the potential for exotic disease to devastate an animal industry. The UK experience, along with the 1999 outbreak of virulent Newcastle disease in poultry in New South Wales have …

Re-Thinking The Summer Drenching Program, Brown Besier

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

The summer drenching program has provided highly effective sheep worm control in Western Australia for many years - but recent research challenges its long term sustainability.

Trial results suggest that in large parts of the State, summer drenching is the main factor leading to the development of drench resistant worms. Alternative programs less likely to lead to drench resistance will require greater monitoring of worm burdens and panning pasture moves.

How To Set Up A Mediterranean Fruit Fly Community Baiting Scheme, Sonya Broughton

Biosecurity published reports

Second edition.

The Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly) is one of the most serious economic pests, infesting over 300 fruit and vegetable species worldwide. Medfly is thought to originate from Africa and is a pest in many countries including North America, Central America, South Africa, Europe and Australia. In Australia, Medfly is present only in Western Australia where it is considered to be naturalised. Although Medfly are occasionally detected in eastern Australia, these outbreaks are eradicated at considerable expense by local agricultural departments.

For Western Australia, Medfly poses a serious threat to backyard and commercial fruit production, and restricts access to …

Drench Resistence : A Large Economic Cost, Brown Besier, Jill Lyon, Norm Mcquade

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Drench restistant worms can cost sheep farmers a lot of money - more than most probably think. Brown Besier, Jill Lyon and Norm McQade discuss some new research that shows the value of conducting routine drench tests to ensure effective worm control.

Sustainable Worm Control In Sheep, Robert Wroth

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Deciding on the best worm control program for your farm can be a complex matter, but guidelines in this article by Robert Wroth should make it simpler.

Breeding Sheep For Worm Resistance, John Karlsson, Johan Greeff, Julia Harris

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Sheep production os one of Western Australia's most important agricultural industries. However, it is faced with the serious threat of sheep worm populations becoming increasingly resistant to the available drenches.

Although it's not a 'quick fix' solution, part of the long term answer may be selection for sheep with greater resistance to worms.

Analysis Of Black Point In Wheat, J M. Wilson

Technical Bulletins

Fungal staining (black point) of wheat can reduce the quality of grain. The most serious problem is a discolouration of products. Discolouration is a consequence of infection by microorganisms. The most likely cause in Western Australia is a species of the common fungus Alternaria. Infection and discolouration occur between flowering and grain maturity, and the optimum environmental conditions are probably consecutive days of high relative humidity together with warm temperatures.

Worm Control In Sheep In Western Australia. Crack Down On Worms: An Information Guide For Advisers, Consultants, Livestock Personnel And Farmers, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Animal production and livestock published reports

In Western Australia’s winter rainfall areas, the control of gastro-intestinal sheep worms is based on the strategic timing of drenches.

Sheep are drenched at a time that reduces the contamination of pastures with worm eggs and larvae in late summer and autumn. The timing of the drenches is particularly important for the control ofbrown stomach worms (Ostertagia species) and black scour worms (Trichostrongylus species)

Drenches given in late spring, when pasture is starting to dry off, and again in summer, successfully reduce pasture contamination in mid summer and autumn. A faecal egg count will determine the need and timing of …

The Sheep Lice Detection Test, Peter Morcombe

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Sheep farmers would agree it is difficult to find sheep lice when carrying out an inspection.

The lice detection test makes this task easier and helps farmers decide how to control lice. The test also helps community liaison groups with eradication of lice infestations in specific areas, and provides data for epidemiologists to monitor changes in prevalence of lice and efficacy of treatments. Tests are much cheaper than flock inspection on the farm.

The present lice detection test was developed by the Australian Wool Testing Authority (A WTA) and introduced as an integral part of the Western Australian Sheep Lice …

On The Trail Of The Native Budworm, Kevin Walden

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Native budworm, the worst pest of lupins, is a bit of a uiill-o-the-unsp. Some years the native budworm moths go virtually unnoticed. In others, they appear in plague proportions without warning - in these years, the cost to growers in lost yield runs into millions of dollars.

If an early warning system can be developed to predict the extent of moth flights into lupin crops, and this seems possible, major crop losses could be averted.

The Department of Agriculture has started research to develop a system of predicting the size of spring flights of native budworm moth. We need to …

Summer Drenching Of Sheep : New Recommendations For High Rainfall Areas, Brown Besier, Jill Lyon

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

'Summer drenching' has been a highly successful strategy for controlling sheep worms in Western Australia's winter rainfall regions for many years. Drenching to remove worm burdens in summer, when the risk of reinfection by worm larvae is low, is an efficient basis to year-round worm control. The Department of Agriculture recently altered its recommendations for the timing of summer drenches to take account of new findings regarding the survival of worm larvae over summer. It now recommends that sheep farmers give the first summer drench when the pasture is beginning to dry off, in spring in most locations. Experiments atMt …

The Western Australian Pig Health Monitoring Scheme, Ashley Mercy

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Over 30,000 slaughter pigs from 245 Western Australian piggeries have been examined for the presence of 16 diseases since the Western Australian Pig Health Monitoring Scheme (PHMS) started in January 1987. The scheme was developed by the author in conjunction with Dr Chris Brennan, a pig veterinary consultant. Monitoring of slaughter pigs is an important part of providing an effective veterinary service to commercial piggeries. It can be used in accreditation schemes and to help in certifying herds free of particular disease

The Live Sheep Export Industry, Richard Norris, Barry Richards, Tony Higgs

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Australia's live sheep trade to Middle Eastern countries is an important export industry. However, about 2 per cent of the sheep die, mainly during the sea voyage. The Western Australian Department of Agriculture has conducted a major research programme to improve the health and welfare of sheep during live export. The programme has'examined many aspects of the export sheep industry, and a substantial part of it has focused on why sheep die during sea transport.

New Approach To Control Of Drench-Resistant Sheep Worms On Farms, Di Hopkins

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Worms cost the Western Australian sheep industry up to $120 million every year, and anthelmintic (drench) resistant worms account for an increasing proportion of this amount. Resistant strains of sheep worms have been found on about 95 per cent of farms tested. This alarmingly high level indicates that all farmers should have a resistance management strategy which includes having a resistance test done on their farms before they drench their sheep. However, only about 20 per cent of farmers have had a resistance test done. Farmers often believe drench resistance is not a problem on their farms, mainly because production …

Eradication Of The Liver Fluke In Dairy Cattle, Dave Muirson

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

In July 1987, a meat inspector found liver fluke (Fasciola hepatica) in a cow at an export abattoir at Waroona. This was the first evidence of the liver fluke completing its life cycle in Western Australia. Fortunately, the Department of Agriculture is reasonably confident that a comprehensive drenching programme has eradicated the liver fluke. The establishment of liver fluke in the south-west coastal areas could cause a serious problem for cattle producers and the small number of sheep producers. Stock would need additional drenching, and if it was not carried out effectively production could be lost or stock could die. …

The Queensland Fruit Fly Eradication Campaign, G P. Ayling

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Western Australia has started an extensive eradication campaign against the Queensland fruit fly, one of the worst horticultural pests in the world.

The programme, the largest of its kind in Australia, and one of the biggest in the world, involves the integration of three tequniques for fruit fly control: lure trapping, protien baiting and the release of sterile male flies.

Quarantine Disinfestation A Bibliography With Relevance To Ornamental Plant Material, Kevin Seaton, Daryl Joyce

Biosecurity published reports

This bibliography has been compiled as part of a programme to develop new and improved techniques for the insect disinfestation of export cut-flowers and cut-foliage. The objective of the programme is to identify the most effective disinfestation treatments. Suitable treatments should kill insects in the flowers without directly injuring the flowers or reducing their postharvest life.

The bibliography presents references relating to the disinfestation of ornamental material (i.e. cut-flowers, cut-foliage, and potted plants). However, it also includes references on disinfestation of fruit, vegetables, and stored grain where this information has some relevance to the disinfestation of ornamental materials. The bibliography …

Potato Cyst Nematode, J M. Stanton

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

For many years, Australia has been the only large land mass in the world in which potato cyst nematode has not been found. However, in 1986, potato cyst nematode was found on four properties at Munster 10km south of Perth, Western Australia.

Potato cyst nematode is a minute worm like organism which attacks the roots of several plant species including potatos, causing very high yield losses. It is a very serious pest of potatoes throughout the world and strict quarantine controls are enforced in countries and potato-growing areas froo of nematode.

Survey Of Parasite Control Practices In Sheep And Cattle, J R. Edwards, R V R Gwynn, R A. Love, Richard Thomas Norris, G Dalton-Morgan, Brown Besier

Technical Bulletins

Farms in the Albany, Esperance, Jerramungup and Katanning districts were surveyed to determine parasite control strategies currently used, to evaluate the adoption of recommended control practices and to detect areas of ineffective parasite control. For cattle, the number of drenches given in the low rainfall zone was higher than the number given in the high rainfall zone.

Rhizoctonia Patch Of Cereals, G C. Macnish

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Rhizoctonia patch is now widespread within Western Australia, having been recorded on all cereals and on a wide variety of other crops and pasture plants. Although the disease-as its name implies - looks spectacular in the field, the overall reduction in crop yield is probably small. However, its increasing frequency is causing considerable concern as the disease appears to be associated with minimum or reduced tillage systems.

Bulletin No 4101 - Flystrike - A Manual For Its Prevention And Control, N Monzu Dr

Bulletins 4000 -

The sheep blowfly is still regarded as the Australian sheep industry's most­damaging pest. Estimates of the cost to the industry, through production losses and prevention and control measures, exceed $ I 00 million in a year. This bulletin comprises the most relevant information available on:

• Blowfly types and life cycles

• Conditions predisposing sheep to flystrike

• The mechanism of flystrike

• Methods of preventing and controlling strike.

• Current research - including the development of a forecasting system for body strike.

Flystrike In Sheep : Secondary And Tertiary Flies Striking Sheep In Western Australia, N Monzu

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Unlike primary species of blowflies, the secondary and tertiary species of flies cannot initiate a strike, but their activity in the presence of the primary blowflies becomes significant in the death of struck sheep. This is particularily so when the hairy maggot blowfly is involved. Future management of sheep flocks to minimise deaths may require recognition of these secondary and tirtiary flies.

This article presents some basic facts about these flies.

New Policy Hits Hard At Sheep Lice, F C. Wilkinson

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

In March 1977 the regulation requiring compulsory routine dipping of all sheep within 30 days of shearing changed, and only infested flocks were required to be dipped. This change has allowed concentrated eradication efforts.

Natural Control Of Insect Pests On The Ord?, P J. Michael

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Current trials conducted by the Department of Agriculture at Kununurra are indicating that there may be an important place for biological control of insect pests of the Ord River Irrigation Area.

Flystrike Control Programmes, H E. Fels

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE various flystrike control methods all avoid susceptible patches of skin on the sheep.

To avoid work—

• choose methods that give the most control for the least effort, and

• combine these methods into a system that works well.

How To Control Flystrike In Sheep, H E. Fels

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

FLYSTRIKE affects incomes and efficiency because a large part of the work done on sheep farms is to prevent or treat it, and because it kills sheep and reduces the amount and quality of production.

Dogs, Tapeworms, Cysts : And Soiled Sheep, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

To protect our export markets it is necessary to meet the required standards and to eliminate as far as possible any sources of cysts, contamination, blemished carcasses or other defects in meat.

Some of these things are beyond the control of the individual farmer, but there are some things he can do to help ensure that the sheep he sends to abattoirs are free of defects which threaten export markets.

Feeding And Care Of The Farm Dog, J B. White

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Most farmers acknowledge the value of a well trained dog when handling sheep, but few appreciate that without correct care and feeding such a dog may reduce their profits and constitute a hazard to the health of themselves and their families.