CASE NOTES
Animal Health Surveillance in NSW
Paul Freeman - A/Surveillance Team leader NSW DPI
Posted Flock & Herd December 2021
The objectives of the terrestrial animal health surveillance program in New South Wales are:
- Early and rapid detection of new / emerging / significant terrestrial animal biosecurity threats
- Collection, collation, analysis and sharing of data to support optimal trade / market access opportunities
- Real-time availability of information to support management of terrestrial animal biosecurity threats
Strategic direction for the program is given in the NSW Terrestrial Animal Health Surveillance Plan (2020-24). This plan runs in parallel to the Aquatic Animal Health Surveillance Strategic Plan and is aligned with the NSW Biosecurity Strategy 2013-2021 and the National Animal Health Surveillance Business Plan.
The NSW surveillance plan is reviewed annually by the team leader Surveillance.
The focus areas in the current plan for projects planned during the next 4 years are:
- Increased exclusion testing for EADs
- Data management and analysis
- livestock certification portal
- Use novel technologies to optimise capacity and capability
- Develop and implement a surveillance communication plan
- Surveillance budgets
Increased exclusion testing for EADs
- Pilot high priority EAD list - FMD, ASF, AHS, LSD, AI - first to get more exclusion testing for these five. After completion of the pilot other diseases may be added in for more exclusion testing
- Use 'syndromic approach' to identify submissions for additional testing -e.g. high risk Hendra for AHS: BEF, Pesti for FMDetc.
- Encourage additional sampling in industries, where we get few samples to government labs, by private vets and DVs such as poultry and pigs.
- Identify minimum data requirements for 'Evidence of absence'. The federal government provides information on Australia's disease status to support market access. There is an increasing demand from importing countries for exporting nations to provide data to support the absence of various diseases.
- Sensitivity analysis for NSW surveillance system. The confidence that the animal health surveillance system will detect diseases if they are present can be determined quantitatively and methodologies exist and have been published. The federal department of agriculture has secured some funding and is keen to work with NSW on evaluation of animal health surveillance.
- Targeted surveillance to meet deficits.