• Coronavirus – (COVID-19)
• Farmer pleads guilty to animal cruelty charges
• Strike fast against flystrike
• New hendra virus genotype discovered
• Pulse field day showcases new lentil and pea varieties
• Fatigue on the farm safety campaign
• The Very Fast Break
• Livestock Biosecurity Grants – applications extended
• eLearning with Agriculture Victoria
• Join the virtual AgriFutures Rural Women's Award national announcement
• My Rain Gauge is Busted podcast
• The Ag Recovery Team is here to help
• Season two of ‘AgVic Talk’ - latest episodes
• North East Victoria Rural Skills Connect program
• What's on?

Update

Restrictions are currently in place across metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria.

Keep up to date with all the latest restrictions, permits and requirements at coronavirus.vic.gov.au.

Jancourt East farmer Alexander Watson pleaded guilty to a charge of aggravated cruelty resulting in the serious disablement of a steer at the Warrnambool Online Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 11 October.

Mr Watson was the owner of a number of cattle in Jancourt East in February 2020.

Following a report, Agriculture Victoria officers attended and observed a steer that was suffering from an eye cancer growth, 14 cm in diameter, with no evidence of any veterinary treatment provided and no notification given to Agriculture Victoria.

The steer was subsequently euthanised on humane grounds following the officers’ attendance.

Mr Watson pleaded guilty to one charge of aggravated cruelty resulting in the serious disablement of the animal and one charge of failing to notify an inspector of the disease in accordance with the Livestock Disease Control Act (LDCA).

The Magistrate took into account the accused’s early plea, remorse and lack of priors.

His Honour nevertheless noted the court must condemn this type of offending, in particular the fact that his approach to basic animal husbandry fell way short of the requisite behaviour required and a sentence should reflect the seriousness in respect to general deterrence.

As a result, Mr Watson was fined $2,500 without conviction with costs awarded to the department in the amount of $351.

The Magistrate also issued a Conditional Control Order for a period of five years, ensuring all animals in his care are provided for with a monitoring order imposed.

Agriculture Victoria Compliance Manager Daniel Bode said bovine eye cancer is a common condition in Hereford cattle. The severity of eye cancers can be reduced by the early identification of growths and prompt action by either seeking veterinary treatment or culling.

“Owners who fail to take reasonable action to prevent suffering in their animals will be considered for prosecution under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986.

“Apart from the obvious pain and suffering of the animal, animal welfare breaches can jeopardise Victoria’s reputation as a humane and responsible producer of food, which can affect all producers.

“This is a reminder to all livestock producers that animal cruelty will not be tolerated by the Victorian Government or the community.”

From July 2020 to June 2021, Agriculture Victoria received and assessed 953 animal welfare reports of which 309 were found to be substantiated. Agriculture Victoria assesses each animal cruelty investigation for the most appropriate regulatory outcome, ranging from voluntary compliance and education to warning and infringement notices and finally prosecutions for serious matters.

Anyone wishing to make a specific complaint in regard to livestock welfare can contact Agriculture Victoria on 136 186 or aw.complaint@agriculture.vic.gov.au

Dr Jeff Cave
Senior Veterinary Officer

With warmer weather around the corner combined with recent rain events, sheep producers need to be prepared for humid spring conditions that are ideal for flystrike.

Flystrike is a condition that costs the Australian sheep industry approximately $173 million annually, as a result of lost production, treatment costs and deaths.

Reducing the risk of flystrike has immense benefits to the health and wellbeing of sheep and their productivity.

The major fly responsible for flystrike in sheep is the green blowfly, Lucilia cuprina, which is believed to be the cause of 90 per cent of flystrike cases.

Lucilia cuprina begins to become active when temperatures are above 15°C and is most active when temperatures are between 26 – 36°C and conditions are calm.

Each female fly can have up to 300 viable offspring and with a 21-day life cycle when conditions are optimal, fly numbers can increase rapidly.

The fly is attracted to odour and moisture, so the risk of flystrike increases when there is regular consistent rainfall that keeps the sheep’s skin moist.

Sheep most susceptible to flystrike are those with breech wrinkles, long wool, dags, urine stain, fleece rot, dermatitis and / or wounds. Sheep that have been previously fly-struck have a relatively higher likelihood of being re-struck.

The prevention of flystrike requires an integrated plan and includes the following:

• the selection of sheep and marking of lambs to produce a flock with relatively low susceptibility to flystrike
• shearing and crutching timed before the peak flystrike risk period
• the correct use of preventative chemicals timed to give protection during the peak flystrike risk period
• worm control and dietary management to help reduce the prevalence of dags
• the selection of relatively open, windy, dry paddocks
• the removal of infective material and carcasses that may attract flies.

As conditions become more conducive to flystrike, sheep should be monitored more regularly for flystrike.

If a fly-struck sheep is found, the affected area should be clipped close to the skin, dressed to prevent reinfection, and the sheep should be moved to a hospital paddock to reduce the risk of infecting the rest of the flock. Any maggots should be collected and killed to help reduce the build-up of fly populations.

For further advice please contact your local veterinarian, rural merchandise reseller or Agriculture Victoria veterinary or animal health officer, or in NSW your Local Land Services or visit websites www.flyboss.org.au and https://www.wool.com/sheep/welfare/breech-flystrike/

Agriculture Victoria is reminding horse owners to take steps to protect their horses from Hendra virus following the discovery of a previously unidentified virus genotype.

Victoria’s Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Graeme Cooke said the further genotype was last week detected in a horse near Newcastle, New South Wales – the most southern detection of Hendra virus in a horse to date.

This follows on from a detection earlier this year, in an historic sample from a Queensland horse. The virus was also detected in 11 historical flying fox (fruit bat) archived samples.

“The flying fox is the natural host for Hendra virus but not known to transmit Hendra virus to humans," Dr Cooke said.

“Seven of the 11 detections in bats are attributed to Victorian samples from grey-headed flying foxes collected for other testing, going back to 2013.

“Hendra virus remains a potentially fatal zoonotic threat and as our knowledge increases the assessment of risk may change. The risk in Victoria, though, is unchanged.”

The recently identified genotype displays similar characteristics to the already known Hendra virus and researchers at Australia’s national science agency CSIRO said they expect the Hendra vaccine for horses should also be effective against the new virus type.

“This discovery serves as a timely reminder for horse owners to be vigilant about biosecurity on their properties. People can be infected with Hendra virus through contact with infected horses and vaccination is an effective way to prevent infection in horses."

“Horse owners should always adopt caution when a horse is unwell and report any signs of illness early. Avoid contact with a sick horse that is showing clinical signs when Hendra virus is a possible diagnosis. Strict infection control measures should be implemented under veterinary supervision.”

Horse owners can take steps to protect their animals from Hendra virus including:

• moving feed and water away from trees where bats may roost
• discussing Hendra vaccination options with their vet
• early isolation of a sick horse while waiting veterinary attention
• good hygiene and cleaning practices
• isolating new horses to their property, especially if they have travelled or co-mingled at events with horses from areas where Hendra cases have been previously detected (NSW or QLD).

Horse owners and veterinarians are reminded to remain vigilant for diseases such as Hendra virus and should report any unusual illness to the Emergency Animal Disease Watch Hotline on 1800 675 888. 

Flying foxes are protected species that are critical to our environment because they pollinate native trees and spread seeds. Biosecurity measures will help to minimise the risk of Hendra virus transmission, while protecting these important species and their role in maintaining a healthy environment. 

For more information about Hendra visit Agriculture Victoria website

The Southern Pulse Agronomy Field Day was held at Nhill this week showcasing new lentil and field pea varieties.

Senior Research Scientist Dr Jason Brand said the field day provided growers with access to the latest, locally validated research that will help them maximise every dollar earned through their pulse crops.

“The field day showcased in-the-field, practical research that will directly benefit local growers,” Dr Brand said.

“Victorian growers produce high quality pulses that are sought after by key markets in India and South East Asia.”

As part of the Southern Pulse Agronomy Project, with a number of trial sites across Victoria, as well as similar projects in South Australia, New South Wales and Western Australia, the field day brought together information for growers to help them tackle problems they are facing with their pulse crops.

New lentil and field pea varieties offering growers higher yields and a better ability to manage weeds, disease and soil types were featured as part of the research presentations.

Among the pea varieties on display were two recently released options for the 2022 growing season: PBA Noosa and PBA Taylor.

PBA Taylor will be the best variety to grow in environments prone to virus diseases as it has resistance to two viruses – pea seed-borne mosaic virus and bean leafroll virus. PBA Noosa is a high-yielding, blue pea variety ideal for the domestic splitting market, boasting a 25 per cent long-term yield advantage over Excell.

The field day also featured recent releases from the National Lentil Breeding Program (NLBP).

Research Scientist Dr Arun Shunmugam said growers were updated on yield potentials and market classes of recent lentil releases under the program.

The NLBP focuses on providing high yielding lines with appropriate tolerances to biotic and abiotic constraints in a diverse range of agroecological regions.

Dr Shunmugam said the NLBP is deploying cutting edge technologies such as genomic selection and high throughput phenotyping to provide better varieties to growers faster.

“NLBP has access to a range of herbicide tolerance traits and we are doing due diligence to ensure any releases have appropriate testing and specifications to minimise risk to industry.”

Traits and characteristics of CIPAL 2121 and CIPAL 2122 in national variety trials (NVT) were presented to growers.

Dr Shunmugam said the latest release is PBA Kelpie XT and it yields about the same as the other Group B tolerant lines in key growing regions but is still a few per cent behind our conventional standard PBA Jumbo2.

“PBA Hallmark XT and PBA Highland XT have respectively been classified as medium and small red lentils. However, they both approach the mid-line cut-off between medium and small market classes and environmental effects may place them into a different class depending on the season.”

The field day was hosted by Frontier Farming Systems on behalf of Agriculture Victoria and the Grains Research Development Corporation (GRDC) and was held as a COVIDSafe event.

With the busy hay and harvest seasons approaching, considering your farm’s loading zones as part of your farm planning could save lives.

Is there an alternate site and route for trucks, hay forks to unload/load, and machinery to travel, that’s away from powerlines?

Look up and live, and check for powerlines before any work begins

Tips for reducing the risk with overhead powerlines include:

1. Stack hay and other materials well away from powerlines.
2. Park oversized machinery away from powerlines.
3. Rethink your loading zones on the farm – you don’t need to touch a powerline for it to arc.
4. Talk with workers and contractors about how to work safely around powerlines, and what to do if they hit a powerline.
5. Remember powerlines can sag in hot weather, which means there may be less distance between yourself and the powerlines than you think.

What to do if you or someone else hits a powerline

If you’re in a vehicle that hits or arcs a powerline, stay in the vehicle and call for help.

If you see someone hit a powerline, stay at least eight metres away and call 000.

For more information contact WorkSafe

The latest edition of the Very Fast Break seasonal climate update video clips are now available.

We are partnering with the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) to bring you these short summaries for South Australia and Victoria and Southern New South Wales.

If you have comments, questions or feedback address them to Dale Grey at the.break@agriculture.vic.gov.au

The Very Fast Break is produced by Agriculture Victoria as part of the GRDC (Southern and Northern Region) 'Increasing grower and advisor capacity and confidence in seasonal forecasting – Southern region and SNSW' project.

Eligible Victorian organisations in the cattle, sheep, goat, swine and honey bee industries now have until Friday 26 November to apply for funding through the Livestock Biosecurity Funds – Grant Program.

Grants are available to fund projects that prevent, monitor, and control diseases, thereby enhancing animal health, biosecurity and market access for the benefit of Victoria’s livestock industries.

Applications are invited from private sector businesses, universities and research institutions, co-operatives, government agencies and local government, and incorporated associations.

Any organisation looking to apply should consider the guidelines and eligibility criteria, review the relevant Statement of Strategic Intent, and complete the online application form.

NEW CLOSING DATE: Applications will close 11.59 pm on Friday 26 November.

For more information, visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/livestockbiosecurityfunds or call our Customer Contact Centre on 136 186.

A selection of online courses that can be undertaken at your own pace, at any time and from anywhere with an internet connection.

eLearning provides an accessible and flexible option for learning and expanding your knowledge.

It enables you to enhance your skills without having to attend an event or workshop in person which could be a significant distance from home, or difficult to complete due to time constraints.

To access courses, you will need to create an account.

This will allow you full access to the courses and it will track your progress as you move through them.

Browse the range of courses that can be undertaken at your own pace, at any time and from anywhere with an internet connection.

Weather directly influences the world we live and work in. This course will help you correctly interpret weather information within an eight-day forecast.

The course focuses on understanding how forecast information is developed and reported, including probabilities of forecast outcomes and explores where you can access reliable and credible weather information and the questions to ask when evaluating the wide range of forecasting apps and websites available.

This eLearn from Agriculture Victoria will take approximately 15 minutes to complete.

The AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award National Winner and Runner Up will now be announced via a live virtual National Announcement event on Wednesday, 20 October from 12.30 until 2 pm.

The online festivities will be hosted by the 2019 AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award National Winner, Jo Palmer.

The National Winner and Runner Up announcement has moved to a day-time event to encourage Australia-wide online viewing and to cater for different time zones.

Register for FREE to join the virtual National Announcement, alongside viewers from right across Australia.

You will be sent a link to the live stream.

Seasonal forecast models can be tricky and confusing at times, coming in all different shapes and sizes.

That’s why we recently asked seasonal risk agronomist Dale Grey to take us through the different models he’s analysed over the years.

To listen search 'My Rain Gauge is Busted' wherever you usually get your podcasts or listen here: https://go.vic.gov.au/31cuNY

Agriculture Victoria’s Ag Recovery Team is here to support growers in the horticulture industry affected by the June storms and floods across Victoria.

Phone 0427 694 185 or email recovery@agriculture.vic.gov.au or visit the Agriculture Victoria website agriculture.vic.gov.au

The new season of the ‘AgVic Talk’ podcast series highlights personal stories of people who have overcome daily challenges.

You’ll hear from a diverse range of people, including rural women and young farmers about how they recover, grow, modernise, protect and promote Victorian agriculture.

Subscribe to AgVic Talk

You can subscribe and listen to AgVic Talk wherever you get your podcasts.

Contact us to learn more about this no-cost program.

• Phone: 1300 834 775
• Web: www.agbizassist.org.au
• Email: info@agbizassist.org.au

AgBiz Assist Ltd t/as Rural Financial Counselling Service Victoria-North East is supported by the Victorian Government.

Details about Agriculture Victoria events can now be found in one spot on our website. Log on to agriculture.vic.gov.au/events to find out what's on.

Knowing what assets you have on your property is essential when it comes to managing a major disruption to your business, whether it’s a fire, flood or storms. It’s impossible to recall everything you have stored in that now burnt down shed.

Agriculture Victoria’s Insuring Farm Assets webinar will discuss the importance of asset inventories, and the things you need to consider when it comes to insuring fences, fodder and stock.

One of the big issues in making insurance decisions and claims is having an accurate inventory list and an understanding of its true value. Not only is this information useful for preparing insurance decision and claims, it’s also particularly helpful for annual tax returns.

Presenter, Michael Myers, Adroit Insurance and Risk – Michael has 35 years’ experience in the insurance industry and provides insights on how to approach insurance, what you need and what your insurance will cover. 

Topics to be discussed:
• The importance of asset inventories
• Creating simple and easy asset inventories
• How to get your farm fence insurance right
• How to insure your cattle and fodder reserves
• What is ‘self-insured’ and what are the implications for your business.

Date:     Tuesday, 19 October 
Time:     7.30 – 8.30 pm
Cost:      Free
RSVP:   Register for this online webinar by 5 pm, Tuesday 19 October via EventBrite at: https://insuring_farm_assets.eventbrite.com.au

Contact: Paul Simpson, Agriculture Recovery Extension Officer on 0455 750 605 or at paul.simpson@agriculture.vic.gov.au

Do you buy or sell livestock privately, online or through saleyards? Do you know the NLIS requirements for livestock movements?

Agriculture Victoria is delivering interactive online training sessions for livestock producers using the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) database. There are two events for you to choose from, between October and November.

Participants will learn about the Victorian traceability system, tour the NLIS database features and be shown how to complete a Property to Property (P2P) transfer.

SESSION PLAN
Part 1: Overview of the Victorian traceability system

• Self-paced online learning (30 minutes)

Part 2: Navigating and using the NLIS database. Zoom meeting (1.5 hours).

• Watch a live demonstration of the NLIS database over a Zoom meeting.
• Access the training NLIS database to practise completing Property-to-Property (P2P) transfers.
• Question and answer session.

Monthly webinars – date and time (Part 2: Zoom meeting)

Wednesday 27 October, 11 am – 12.30 pm
Click here to register

Wednesday 24 November, 9 – 10.30 am
Click here to register

Book your free tickets by clicking on the links above or online agriculturevictoriaevents.eventbrite.com

For more information - or if you have trouble registering online - please call 0427 681 714.

Numbers will be limited to allow for an interactive session.

OTHER INFORMATION

Participants are encouraged to set up their NLIS account prior to attending the webinar.

Access the NLIS database at www.nlis.com.au
For more NLIS information click here

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