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Livestock Health and Pest Authorities will become Local Land Services on 1 January 2014. An information brochure about the new organisation is included with this newsletter and your 2013 Land and Stock Return and you are encouraged to read it to find out more.

It’s been a challenging two years for the LHPA as it underwent the State Government’s Ryan Review and then months awaiting the Government’s decision about the future of the organisation. We are proud to have continued to provide important livestock health and pest management services, management of the State’s 600,000 hectares of Travelling Stock Reserves, administration of stock identification and tracing systems including Property Identification Codes, and immediate and effective response in times of emergency. Servicing you, our ratepayers, will continue to be a priority for the LHPA until 1 January 2014 when Local Land Services will take over these roles.

Last month, the Minister for Primary Industries Katrina Hodgkinson MP announced key decisions around Local

Land Services. We are confident in the fact that the current services we provide to you will continue, with each regional Local Land Service employing staff with specific skills in biosecurity, agricultural extension, and natural resource management. The LHPA is proud of the significant contributions it has made to the State Government reform to Local Land Services, representing our ratepayers to ensure your needs were acknowledged and considered. Thank you to all of those people who contributed to the community consultation which also helped shape the final decisions.

As this newsletter goes to print, the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) is developing a rating model for Local Land Services. IPART will present its final recommendations to the Minister by the end of November 2013. LHPA rates will be payable in 2014 and you will still be sent a 2014 rates notice as determined by information submitted on your 2013 Land and Stock Return.

I congratulate all LHPA directors and staff for the commitment and loyalty they have shown over the last two years. We are now looking forward to working with the Catchment Management Authorities and Department of Primary Industries agricultural services in the new organisation, and of course you; our ratepayers and NSW landholders.

For more information about Local Land Services, please visit www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/locallandservices

Ian Donges

Chair, LHPA State Management Council

Round the traps

ContentsPermits required when moving livestock 2

Increase in wild dog activity 3

Footrot on the Monaro 4

Lodge your return online 4

June 2013

Contacts

Bega 34 Auckland Street (PO Box 16) BEGA NSW 2550 Ph 02 6492 1283 Fax 02 6492 3516 Bombala 106 Maybe Street (PO Box 23) BOMBALA NSW 2632 Ph 02 6458 3055 Fax 02 6458 3099 Braidwood Court House Building 170 Wallace Street (PO Box 97) BRAIDWOOD NSW 2622 Ph 02 4842 2536 Fax 02 4842 2790 Cooma 5 Dawson Street (PO Box 29) COOMA NSW 2630 Ph 02 6452 1122 Fax 02 6452 4982 Email enquiries admin.south.east@lhpa.org.au

Page 2 - LHPA assist landholders following Yarrabin fire

Becoming Local Land Services on 1 January 2014

Landholder priorities remain a focus of Local Land Services

South East LHPA rangers Graham Tozer and Robby Freebody checking NLIS compliance at the Cooma sheep sale. Important services like this will continue under Local Land Services.

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Increase in wild dog activity keeps pest animal controllers busy By Murray Schofield (PAC)

2013 has seen an increase in wild dogs in most areas. The Pest Animal Controllers (PACs) have been trapping and shooting more wild dogs than usual for this time of year. Landholders have also been sighting more wild dogs. Due to the previous number of good seasons there has been an increase in feral pest animals and native fauna in the bush, resulting in greater food availability for the wild dog pups so more have survived. In some instances wild dogs have followed the feral pest animals into the freehold country where they have then come into contact with livestock.

� The Pest Animal Controller in the East Monaro area trapped a total of eight dogs in 2012. This year alone there have been 11 dogs trapped in a three month period in that same area.

� In the February to May period 13 dogs were caught in the Snowy Plains area and 16 in the Adaminaby Yaouk area. In the Dalgety Paupong area there have been 24 dogs caught in 10 weeks.

LHPA rangers, district vets and other support staff assisted landholders in January following 12 fires that were alight in the Monaro from lightning strikes. Extreme weather conditions saw one of these fires burn out of control, spreading rapidly and threatening many properties south east of Numeralla.

LHPA staff were on hand to evaluate stock losses and repair fences so that stock found alive could be yarded and assessed. These stock were treated and fodder was provided.

There were many stock losses in some areas and many head of livestock had to be destroyed around the Kybeyan area.

In the weeks following the fires, LHPA staff continued to assist with fodder drops and monitoring the recovery of burnt stock, as well as assisting to get stock away on agistment.

Special thanks goes to Neil Lynch, Rowan McDonald and the many generous local farmers who donated and coordinated fodder drops and agistment to those who needed it.

LHPA staff were on hand in January to assist landholders who had been affected by the fires.

By Phil McGrath Acting Senior Ranger Producers are reminded that all livestock movements off the property of origin need to be accompanied with some form of permit. The South East LHPA works cooperatively with producers and livestock carriers to ensure they fully understand the legislative requirements when transporting livestock.

By definition, any individual transporting one head of livestock on the back of a ute or in a trailer is deemed a livestock carrier. This means any vehicle moving livestock can be stopped by police or an authorised officer, and a copy of the movement permit requested.

The movement permit can be on a number of forms:

� Transported Stock Statement (TSS). A completed TSS is required whenever cattle, sheep or goats (and in some instances horses) are being moved by vehicle within NSW (note a completed NVD is a valid TSS in NSW.)

� National Vendor Declaration Form (Sheep, Goats and Cattle). The NVD also records information relating to the health and chemical status of the livestock. This information is required for food safety reasons by abattoirs and feedlots. Buyers for abattoirs

and feedlots do not purchase sheep or cattle without a valid NVD. Most saleyard operators also require a valid NVD to accompany stock to a saleyard. It is also strongly advised that any property to property movement be accompanied by an NVD if the movement involves two or more PIC numbers.

� National Vendor Declaration for pigs (Pig Pass). A valid Pig Pass is required for all movements of pigs, again abattoirs will not receive pigs without a valid Pig Pass.

� Routine Stock Movement Permit (RSMP) issued under the Rural Lands Protection Act, which allows the permit holder to walk (during daylight hours only) or transport livestock between the routes specified within the permit.

� Any other Stock permit that has been issued under the Rural Lands Protection Act .

� Any other permit that has been issued under the Stock Diseases Act.The South East LHPA wants to ensure that landholders are aware of the requirements and expectations of livestock movements.

If you have any query or concern about this matter or any other relating to saleyards or the movement of livestock, contact your local LHPA office.

Murray Schofield, Pest Animal Controller, holds a wild dog caught in the East Monaro area.

LHPA assist with recovery following Yarrabin fire

Permits required when moving livestock

Two wild dogs caught in the East Monaro area.

Aerial baitingFive wild dog management plan areas throughout the South East LHPA have recently been aerial baited, with over 6000 wild dog baits distributed throughout remote and inaccessible National Park and private lands. Aerial baiting will occur in the Neriga/Araluen Wild Dog Management Plan areas in June. Below - Bombala Ranger Rodney Rankin prepares to distribute baits from the helicopter.

Feral pigs numbers on the riseGood seasons have seen an increase in feral pig numbers. The pigs (above) were trapped in the East Monaro area by Pest Animal Controller Murray Schofield.

Complete NVD correctly and comply with NLIS to avoid fines

NSW is standing firm in its belief that electronic tags in sheep and goats are unnecessary to meet traceability requirements. Producers can help avoid an EID system for NLIS (sheep and goats) by ensuring that they comply with the paper based system currently in place.

This means that producers must comply with NLIS requirements by correctly completing their NVDs and making sure that they accurately list any additional PICs for non vendor bred sheep.

From now until the 30th June, increased auditing in NSW saleyards will be occurring. These audits will be aiming to find, fix and provide feedback on any problems found.

NVDs will be examined at the start of a sale to ensure that they have been completed correctly and pens audited where NVDs are incorrect. Problems found in these audited pens – be they tags missing or additional PICs not recorded on the NVD will be corrected.

Producers will then be sent a warning letter (in the first instance) with subsequent offences leading to a recommendation for a Penalty Infringement Notice ($550). From 1 July 2013, any NVD that is required to be fixed will also incur an administrative fee of $100 to be charged to the producer by their local LHPA. For more information, contact your local LHPA office.

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Footrot on the MonaroBy Bryden Kreps Final year vet student, CSU Wagga

There have been a few cases of footrot diagnosed on the Monaro this year. However, unlike previous years where you could make a diagnosis of virulent foot rot “based off the smell when you got out of the car”, this season the lesions in the feet have been mild and only found when you look really closely, when swabs have been taken and sent to the lab to determine if the cases are virulent they have been returning positive.

The reason why virulent footrot is only showing up as mild disease this year is possibly due to the climatic conditions controlling the progression of the disease. However the fact that the organism responsible for virulent footrot, Dichelobacter nodosus, is being found in the area could mean that during spring, when conditions are favourable for spread there could be a significant outbreak of footrot on the Monaro.

Virulent footrot causes separation of the tissues of the foot and underruns the horny tissue of the foot starting between the claws. In bad cases sheep may be affected in all four feet, with the sole completely destroyed and the sheep having to walk on raw nubs covered with overgrown and misshapen claws. It is caused by the bacteria Dichelobacter nodosus (previously called Bacteroides notodus) which grows best in moist, warm conditions. The footrot bacteria can live indefinitely in pockets of infection inside the feet of affected animals, even under dry conditions. However, the bacteria cannot survive outside the foot (say in soil or sheepyards) for more than seven days.

On the other hand, benign footrot, or scold, shows up as inflammation of the skin between the toes during

wet conditions. The hair falls out and the surface can develop a smelly cheesy membrane. With chronic irritation and rubbing this can develop into lesions similar to proud flesh between the toes and may make sheep mildly lame.

If conditions are not ideal it can be hard to tell the difference between benign and virulent forms, so it is a good idea to report any suspicion of footrot so that the disease can be controlled and prevented from spreading to other mobs or neighbouring flocks.

Virulent footrot causes significant disease, production loss, compromises animal welfare and causes a lot of worry for owners of affected flocks. Due to these factors and its infectious nature, virulent footrot is a notifiable disease. This means there is a legal obligation to notify the LHPA within 48 hours of it first coming to your knowledge that your stock may be affected. Regulatory action may result if virulent footrot is not notified. Therefore notifying your local LHPA when lameness is first observed will allow an early diagnosis of the cause of the lameness and rule footrot from the situation in or out.

Once virulent footrot is diagnosed, the flock will be quarantined and the owner/occupier will be required to sign an ‘undertaking’ outlining conditions which must be followed to eradicate the disease. As part of this process a footrot eradication program and a timeline for its implementation will be developed. This program must be approved by the local District Veterinarian (DV) and requires full documentation of the procedures to be followed. The eradication program will be reviewed at regular intervals, and if progress is considered unsatisfactory, regulatory action may then be taken. The use of accredited footrot contractors to assist with eradication programs is strongly encouraged.

Why have I been sent a land and stock return?The information you provide in your Land and Stock Return helps us build a statewide picture about agricultural usage and livestock numbers. Along with the stock ID and traceability systems we manage, this information is invaluable in the event of an emergency disease outbreak.

Even if you have no stock, it is important for you to complete a Land and Stock Return. Unless you complete a return, we automatically apply an animal health charge to next year’s rates. It is also a legal requirement that you lodge a return under the Rural Lands Protection Act 1998.

Remember, your 2013 Land and Stock Return should be lodged online or received by us by 31 August 2013.

3 simple steps to online lodgement of your return

For more information visit our website

www.lhpa.org.au

Bibliography

NSW Department of Primary Industries 2007, ‘Diagnosis of Footrot: Procedure’, Biosecurity, Compliance and Mine Safety, 161 Kite Street, Orange, NSW, 2800.

Seaman J 2006, ‘Footrot notifications’, Prime Facts, no. 489, State of New South Wales through NSW Department of Primary Industries.

Seaman J & Evers M 2006, ‘Footrot in sheep and goats’, Prime Facts, no. 265, State of New South Wales through NSW Department of Primary Industries.

There are three simple steps to online lodgement:

1Look at the top-right hand corner of the enclosed Land

and Stock Return for your Holding reference number and online password.

2 Visit www.lhpa.org.au/landandstock and log in

using your Holding reference number and unique online password.

3 Fill in your land and stock details.