Northern Australia engagement

^{Image: Australian Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Beth Cookson. OCVO Northern Australia office (image credit DAFF)}

Animal health engagement across northern Australia

Emergency animal diseases (EAD) have the potential to cause significant impacts to livestock industries in Australia, and this is especially evident in northern Australia. Even in the absence of a disease outbreak, we experienced some of these impacts in August when Australian cattle exports to Indonesia and Malaysia were disrupted amidst Indonesia’s concerns over Australian-origin cattle that tested positive for lumpy skin disease (LSD) after arrival in Indonesia.

Our strong animal health system meant we were able to confidently provide assurance of our ongoing LSD-free status, however the situation highlighted the benefit of optimising engagement with livestock industries in northern Australia and of the importance of maintaining strong technical relationships with neighbouring countries.

In 2022, as part of preparedness activities to manage the threat of foot-and-mouth (FMD) disease and LSD outbreaks in Indonesia, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (the department) established the new position of Australian Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer within my Office of the Chief Veterinary Officer (OCVO) and appointed Dr Beth Cookson to the role. During the past twelve months she has established OCVO’s Northern Australia team of skilled veterinarians and support staff based in Cairns, Darwin, and Canberra.

The focus for Dr Cookson and her team is to provide technical advice on animal health in the region and to work with neighbouring countries in southeast Asia and in Papua New Guinea to enhance regional animal biosecurity systems. Work to strengthen these systems aims to protect livelihoods and limit the impact and spread of EADs. Our stakeholder engagement through the Northern Australia office is fundamental to building capacity around prevention, preparedness, detection, and response to EAD outbreaks.

Addressing potential vulnerability in the north

The risks associated with EAD outbreaks in Northern Australia are real and present. The northern Australia region, defined as the region north of the Tropic of Capricorn, has unique challenges for biosecurity. The regions remoteness and proximity to neighbouring countries such as Indonesia and Timor-Leste, and continued traditional exchanges between the people of Papua New Guinea (PNG) and the Torres Strait islands means that animal health risks are increased.

To guide the work of the newly established office, the OCVO commissioned a report that sets out the key vulnerabilities, gaps, and opportunities to improve EAD preparedness and resilience in the north. This work was completed in August 2023 and is being used to inform and shape the future priorities for the northern office.

Establishing long-term genuine engagement with First Nation’s people on EAD response and preparedness was one area identified as a priority in the north. Working with communities to ensure that potential impacts of EADs are understood and valued from a range of perspectives and that response structures and engagement approaches are culturally-appropriate is a critical component of preparedness in northern Australia. This will complement existing programs, such as the Indigenous Rangers Biosecurity Program, aimed at building awareness and undertaking surveillance for the early detection of exotic animal diseases.   

Being a good neighbour

Agriculture in PNG and Timor-Leste comprises both village smallholders and commercial farming operations. Working together with near neighbouring countries to manage the risk of animal diseases emerging in our region is critical to protecting the livelihoods of the communities that depend on healthy animals for their main source of income. The Northern Australia office is building on long-standing relationships with colleagues in PNG and Timor-Leste to ensure that our programs meet the food security and agricultural development goals of our neighbours as well as enhancing regional biosecurity.

Timor-Leste

With the recent emergence of rabies in West Timor, my office is working with the Timor-Leste Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Forestry (MALFF) and dog behaviour and rabies prevention expert Daniel Stewart to deliver training in safe animal handling and rabies vaccine administration techniques. Daniel is a South African-based animal behaviourist and authority in the delivery of rabies control programs, having worked extensively with the World Organisation for Animal Health in Africa and Asia.

During an intensive training session delivered in September, the MALFF team developed skills in safe handling of roaming dogs, working as a vaccination team and community awareness messaging. The train-the-trainer approach will enable the MALFF team to teach these skills to their colleagues in other parts of Timor-Leste, to ensure the safety and wellbeing of both people and animals involved in a future rabies vaccination campaign.

^{Image: Rabies and dog handling training participants in Timor-Leste (image credit DAFF)}

Between March and July this year we also collaborated with MALFF in Timor-Leste on community awareness and surveillance in cattle for three important diseases - FMD, LSD and bovine Brucella. This follows risk assessments to understand potential pathways for entry of FMD and LSD which the teams conducted in 2022, and is part of Timor-Leste’s work to keep these diseases out of the country. Over 95 villages were reached in Cova Lima, Bobonaro and Oecusse Municipalities which border West Timor, and over 1000 blood samples from cattle were collected and tested, with results being finalised.

^{Image: Border survey in Timor-Leste (image credit DAFF)}

Following a request from Timor-Leste to support the work of their frontline quarantine officers, my office partnered with the Biosecurity Training Centre at Charles Sturt University (CSU) to deliver a pilot training program which was designed specifically for Timor-Leste’s needs. Delivered in two parts, ten quarantine officers attended a 10-day residential training course at Charles Sturt University in April, incorporating train-the-trainer techniques. In July, these officers were mentored by CSU to train their colleagues in Timor-Leste on key aspects of animal and plant diseases and pests, as well as inspection techniques for risk commodities they might see at the border.

^{Image: FMD and LSD workshop in Papua New Guinea (image credit DAFF)}

Papua New Guinea

In June my team collaborated with colleagues from PNG’s National Agriculture and Quarantine Inspection Authority (NAQIA), the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP) and Pacific Horticultural and Agricultural Market Access (PHAMA) Plus, to deliver a workshop on advanced FMD and LSD field skills. The team also held an FMD response simulation exercise to familiarise field officers and cattle industry representatives with PNG’s emergency response plans, and trial equipment for vaccination and cold chain maintenance should this be needed in the future. Combined with the emergency animal disease vaccination plan which has been developed by the group, this puts PNG in a good position to respond to animal disease threats in the region.

^{Image: FMD workshop in Papua New Guinea (image credit DAFF)}

During October, my team will be back in PNG working with NAQIA to extend their passive animal health surveillance system in Western Province. This work partners with a network of village rangers in 40 locations across Western Province which has been established by Australian group INLOC, in a program funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Initial training in animal disease awareness for the rangers was conducted in November 2022, and they have been reporting monthly to NAQIA on animal health in their area. This initial training will be extended, and will include using NAQIA’s digital Animal Health Information System.

Working with Southeast Asia

To improve food security and prosperity in our region the Northern Australia office aims to strengthen veterinary services and improve animal health and welfare in the Southeast Asia (SEA) region. Working with other government agencies as well as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) the program endeavours to develop strong partnerships with regional bodies, develop a cohesive Australian government approach to sub-regional engagement on animal health and build strategic bilateral relationships.

What this future looks like

Creating change at a local, systemic and policy level takes time, and is only done by creating strong relationships. We see that meaningful engagement with stakeholders is key to achieving this. The Northern Australia office aims to foster a collaborative environment to test a range of ideas and strategies that identifies gaps and opportunities and explores emergent solutions. Having the Northern Australia office up and running and establishing strong relationships both here and abroad can only improve our readiness to the risk of EADs.

For the latest updates on the work of the Office of the Chief Veterinary Officer, please follow our Twitter channel, and you can also follow me on LinkedIn and the Australian Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Beth Cookson on LinkedIn.