FEEDBACK from the National Sheep Health Monitoring Project to NSW and Victorian producers has begun providing information on diseases and conditions detected on the slaughter floor.
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Improvements in sheep health, increased profits and farm productivity are expected to follow.
Veterinary officer Dr Elise Matthews, from Biosecurity South Abattoirs, said NSW and Victorian producers would receive feedback on 14 of the endemic 21 diseases and conditions monitored at SA export abattoirs.
In NSW, feedback will be provided, when available, from Gundagai, Cootamundra and Cowra, and in Victoria, from JBS Australia, Brooklyn, MC Herds, Geelong, Midfield Meats, Warnambool and Ararat Meat Exports.
The industry-funded enhanced abattoir surveillance monitoring has provided SA sheep producers with feedback from the slaughter floor at two export abattoirs since 2007 — Thomas Foods International at Murray Bridge and Lobethal.
Although the enhanced abattoir surveillance is part of the National Sheep Health Monitoring Project, feedback to producers for conditions other than Ovine Johnes Disease has not been available outside of SA.
Dr Matthews said the program had helped South Australian producers to improve sheep health and welfare, increase profits and farm productivity.
She said the data generated was also being used at an industry level for research.
Dr Matthews was a key speaker at the Australian White Suffolk Conference at Nuriootpa, SA, on February 16-17.
“Diseases and conditions monitored may impact the producer on-farm, on the abattoir slaughter floor or both,’’ she said.
“On-farm impacts include reduced production, cost of treatments and stock deaths.
“At the abattoir, carcasses may be trimmed, downgraded or condemned and there are penalties of cents per kilogram in the case of grass seeds.
“Some of the conditions monitored may not have a direct impact to on-farm sheep health, but are creating waste on the slaughter floor and is a cost to industry.”
Dr Matthews said lines of more than 100 bodies were monitored for flock problems, not individual condemnation issues.
Details are entered on an electronic data-base on the slaughter floor then emailed to the Department of Primary Industries and Regions SA.
Major conditions are grass seeds, pleurisy, arthritis and sheep measles. Conditions requiring trimming at the abattoir include sarcocystis, rib fractures, cheesy gland and vaccine lesions.
