Failure to quarantine new arrivals puts animals at significant risk from disease, says the AHA Photo: A Berg

Many Australian farmers are risking the health of their livestock by failing to quarantine new animals, says a report.

Research by the animal health agency, Animal Health Australia (AHA), has found that only 37% of livestock owners isolate new stock, and that of those, almost half quarantine the animals for a week or less.

Failure to quarantine new arrivals puts animals at significant risk from disease, says the AHA. The agency recommends isolating new stock for 10 days.

Duncan Rowland, the AHA's disease risk mitigation manager, said: "Introducing new stock is the key way disease can enter properties. Keeping new or returning animals separate from the rest of the herd in a receival paddock is one of the simplest ways to protect your livestock and your business.

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"A receival paddock is a place for new stock to adjust to their new environment and empty their stomachs of weed seeds. It also gives time for signs of any disease to show up before they are introduced to existing stock."

Mr Rowland said that a recent survey of farmers had shown considerable interest in improving biosecurity, but that many needed information on the basic steps for protecting their livestock. The AHA has set up a website, www.farmbiosecurity.com.au, to help address the problem. 

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