Small farms and foot-and-mouth disease
Key points for small farms and blocks:
- All animals on properties, big and small, could potentially be impacted if an exotic disease outbreak occurs in Australia.
- Australia currently has a disease-free status for foot and mouth disease and lumpy skin disease, however all landholders need to play an active role in monitoring and reporting any suspect cases.
- Foot-and-mouth disease is is an emergency animal disease. This means an animal showing suspect signs of the disease must be reported to a Local
- Land Services District Veterinarian on 1300 795 299 or the Emergency Animal Disease Watch Hotline on 1800 675 888.
- Find your local District Vet at the LLS website.
Foot-and-mouth disease affects cloven-hoofed animals including pigs, cattle, sheep, goats, deer, alpacas, camels, llamas and buffalo.
Cloven-hoofed animals are those with a split toe. It does not affect horses.
The virus is carried by live animals and in meat and dairy products, as well as in soil, bones, untreated hides, vehicles and equipment used with these animals. It can also be carried on people’s clothing and footwear.
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What are the signs?
- blisters on the mouth, snout, tongue, lips or feet
- erosions remaining after blisters rupture
- drooling
- fever
- limping and reluctance to move
- production losses.
Find out more about foot-and-mouth disease.
Do not feed swill to pigs!
Swill feeding is the traditional name for feeding food scraps to pigs.
It is illegal to give pigs access to prohibited pig feed which includes meat, animal products and imported dairy goods or anything that has been in contact with these products.
This practice has caused foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks overseas.