Livestock disease investigations

The Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries (DPIF) provides a free disease investigation service to livestock owners for diagnosis of notifiable emergency, exotic and endemic disease, including zoonotic diseases. Berrimah Veterinary Laboratories provide free diagnostic testing for exclusion of notifiable disease for all disease investigations, and subsidies are available to private veterinarians for significant disease investigations in livestock.

During the April–June 2016 quarter, 102 livestock disease investigations were conducted to rule out emergency diseases or investigate suspect notifiable diseases across the Northern Territory. Figure 1 shows the number of investigations by species of livestock.

Figure 1. Livestock disease investigations by species for April - June 2016

Berrimah Veterinary Laboratories processed 216 livestock sample submissions including 86 samples to substantiate proof of disease freedom certifications, and for accreditation programs and targeted surveillance to support market access.

The following case reports are a selection of field investigations of livestock disease incidents during the quarter.