July, 2022

Industry Notice  
Emergency animal disease information

Biosecurity Queensland is encouraging livestock owners including those with cattle, buffalo, camels, sheep, goats, deer and pigs to be prepared, vigilant and on the lookout for lumpy skin disease (LSD), foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and African swine fever (ASF).

LSD, FMD, and ASF are not present in Australia, and if introduced, pose a significant impact on production, businesses and families. 

Livestock owners are reminded that feeding pigs food that contains or has been in contact with meat, eggs and untreated cooking fats and oils (swill feeding) is illegal, as it can spread animal diseases.

This is a timely reminder after viral fragments of FMD and ASF were confirmed in a small number of products in Australia tested as part of routine surveillance and testing of meat and other animal products by the federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. 

What you can do to prepare

LOOK for and know the signs of LSD (cattle and buffalo), FMD (cloven-hoofed animals) and ASF (pigs).

REPORT suspect cases to your veterinarian and the Emergency Animal Disease Watch Hotline on 1800 675 888 immediately.

PROTECT your livestock and livelihood: 

• Have a biosecurity management plan in place.
• Ensure your biosecurity entity registration details are up to date.

Learn about the clinical signs of lumpy skin disease, foot-and-mouth disease, and African swine fever. Stay informed at the emergency animal disease preparedness eHub or contact  13 25 23.

Remember your animal movement obligations 

It is a requirement if you own 1 head or more of cattle, sheep, goat, pig, alpaca, camelids, equines, a European beehive or 100 or more production or free flight birds, you are required to be registered with us with in 14 days of moving the livestock on to your property. See the QRIC website for more information.

The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) also requires the update of the information held by DAF every 3 years.

Registration is easy. There is an online portal where customers can register for the first time, manage their details 24/7 and deregister if need be. This is the portal link for your information – Registerable Biosecurity Entity Portal

Alternatively, customers can access an online form where they can register and pay all in one go – Government Smart Form.