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Animal Health Newsletter
Issue 3
May 2015
Assistance for storm and flood affected land managers
The recent storm damage and
flooding experienced across the
Lower Hunter has caused substantial
losses of livestock, crop, pasture,
fodder stores, farming infrastructure
(especially fencing) and riverbank
erosion.
Hunter Local Land Services (LLS) and
the NSW Department of Primary
Industries (DPI) have been assisting
with the flood response and are now working with affected
landholders to aid in the recovery after the flood events.
This newsletter provides useful information to assist landholders
with flood recovery, including critical information on livestock
health plus details of the assistance and support available.
Brett Miners
General Manager
Hunter Local Land Services
Assistance measures and key contacts
Floods not only damage physical property but can also have
a devastating financial and emotional effect. A suite of
assistance measures are in place to help farmers, primary
producers and small rural businesses get back on their feet.
This includes financial, and health and wellbeing assistance.
Recovery advice and assistance
Advice and assistance is available on:
• Livestock health, welfare and disease
• Pasture, feed and stock options
• Vertebrate pest control
• Reporting and assessing damage, including agricultural,
riverbank or other erosion issues
• Property planning options (including fencing)
Contact:
Primary Industries Hotline - 1800 814 647
www.dpi.nsw.gov.au
Financial assistance
Flood-affected producers and small business operators may
be eligible for a range of financial assistance as part of the
Natural Disaster Relief Scheme.
The scheme offers:
• Low interest loans up to $130,000 for replacement and
repair of damage not covered by insurance, and working
capital due to loss of income, including structural repairs
to sheds, fences, access roads and other infrastructure.
• Transport subsidies to assist with the cost of transporting
fodder and/or water to an affected property and stock to/
from adjistment.
Contact:
Rural Assistance Authority - 1800 678 593
www.raa.nsw.gov.au
Farm household support
The Department of Human Services provides help for farmers
and their families experiencing financial hardship. Assessment
is based on your contribution of labour and capital to the
farm enterprise.
Contact:
Department of Human Services - 1800 050 004
Other financial assistance
Other grants and allowances are available. Contact the
organisations below for details.
Personal Hardship and Distress Assistance
Disaster Welfare Assistance Line - 1800 018 444
www.mpes.nsw.gov.au
Natural Disaster Motor Vehicle Stamp Duty Relief
Office of State Revenue - 1300 139 814
www.osr.nsw.gov.au
Financial advice
Free and impartial rural financial counselling is available.
Contact:
Rural Financial Counselling Service NSW Northern
Region
Gloucester: Ron Lindsay - 6558 2570
Scone: Ray Hynes - 6545 3544
Taree: Andrew Ellem - 6551 5879
www.rfcsnsw-northernregion.org
Fencing assistance
BlazeAid is a volunteer-based organisation that assists rural
families and individuals to help clear, repair or replace fences
that have been lost as a result of natural disasters. Families
and individuals must be in genuine need of volunteer
assistance, and provide fencing materials if feasible.
Contact:
BlazeAid (Dungog Basecamp) - 0488 642 579
www.blazeaid.com
blazeaid.dungog@gmail.com
Landholder resource pack
A Landholder Resource Pack is available to assist
flood-affected landholders.
The pack includes information on the suite
of assistance available, plus key contacts and
useful information on animal health and pasture
options.
Visit www.hunter.lls.nsw.gov.au or call
Hunter LLS on 1300 795 299
Animal Health Newsletter - Issue 3, May 2015
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Disease risk from flood waters and flooded pasture
It is important to inspect livestock on a daily basis to identify
and respond to the range of health issues that can occur
following a flood.
feed is the best preventative measure.
Flooded pastures can be contaminated with silt and
debris. This poses a variety of health risks for livestock and
people.
Many pasture species can also grow rapidly after floods and
can concentrate nitrate and cyanide causing sudden death
syndrome. If an animal dies from unknown causes, remove
stock from access to the offending plant. Your Hunter LLS
District Veterinarian can help identify these issues.
High levels of bacterial contamination in flood waters and
deposited silt pose a particular risk as wounds or breaks in
skin can quickly become infected.
Sudden consumption of green lush feed or a change in
feed can cause bloat or issues with clostridial bacteria and
deaths due to pulpy kidney.
However, a lack of feed quantity and quality is also
a major threat to livestock health and welfare. A key
consideration in this early recovery stage is the availability of
feed on farm and whether stock should be sold or retained
and supplementary fed.
Floods can also bring clostridial spores to the surface that can
cause deaths from blackleg. Giving stock a 5 in 1 booster
vaccination is a key preventative measure that is cheap
insurance against clostridial diseases.
Many Hunter stock on flood affected pasture will require
some form of supplementary feeding. This is both a
financial and time cost that needs careful consideration.
Floodwaters can also bring about an increase in insect and
insect borne diseases and an increase in fly populations
which can also spread disease. Be on the watch for an
increase in pink eye and diarrhoea in livestock.
Consumption of rotting pasture is also a risk to livestock
as botulism can cause muscle paralysis.
Worm larvae can survive much longer on pasture in moist
conditions and parasite burdens may increase rapidly.
Therefore the recommended Hunter district Autumn drench
and worm test is particularly important to avoid production
losses from worms in Winter and Spring.
Water that is tainted with silt and mud may cause
problems. Be on the lookout for algal blooms and polluted
dam water.
If caught early many of these diseases can be treated with
veterinary attention. Inspecting animal health on a daily basis
is the key.
When pasture quality and quantity is low plant poisoning
can also arise. From sheer hunger, livestock might consume
some of the poisonous plants common to the Hunter such as
green cestrum, bracken fern or lantana. Adequate available
Contact your local veterinarian or Hunter LLS District
Veterinarian for more detailed information on the risks and
diseases. LLS staff are available to assist you to develop a
livestock health recovery plan.
Stored and standing feed might also be flood affected.
Feeding mouldy hay can cause livestock health issues ranging
from production loss to death.
Livestock conditions to look out for after floods
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Disease Condition
Signs
Prevention treatment
Blackleg and Pulpy kidney
(Clostridial disease)
Sudden death from infected wounds and change
in feed.
Vaccine 5 in 1 or 7 in 1
Leptospirosis Bacterial infection
Abortion in cattle and calf illness.
Vaccinate with 7 in 1
Foot abscess/footrot
Lameness, affected foot may be swollen, red
between the toes.
Veterinary treatment
Swollen legs
Swollen legs from cuts and abrasions or standing
for long periods.
Veterinary treatment
Mastitis
Udder red swollen hot.
Veterinary treatment
Pneumonia
Periodic coughing, inappetant followed by death.
Veterinary treatment
Woody tongue
Hard, protruding tongue may have abscesses
around the head and neck.
Veterinary treatment
Flood scours
Yersinia infection, which causes an explosive
diarrhea followed by death. It is also called flood
mud scours.
Veterinary treatment
Salmonellosis
Bloody diarrhea followed by death.
Veterinary treatment
Botulism
Animals can’t get up. This looks like milk fever.
Very low muscle tone. Results from eating rotten
vegetation.
Veterinary investigation.
A preventative vaccination is
also available.
Animal Health Newsletter - Issue 3, May 2015
Livestock survival plans
It is wise to have a survival plan for your livestock in place
which lists the actions that should be taken before, during
and after an event such as floods and fires.
Having a livestock survival plan is an important part of flood
preparedness, which has been reinforced by significant stock
losses recently.
A livestock survival plan ensures livestock have constant
access to higher ground and that a nominated person is
available 24-hours a day to shift livestock in the event of flood
warnings being issued.
These plans are critical for absentee landholders and
landholders in flood-prone country.
Identify the hazard events that have happened or could
happen in your area and use these to develop your plan.
Hunter LLS staff can assist land managers to prepare a
livestock survival plan for their property.
Hay shed fires
Hay shed fires can occur when hay has become moist.
Spontaneous combustion occurs when moist hay heats up
due to a combination of natural microbial and chemical
reactions.
If enough air (oxygen) is present the moist hay may get hot
enough to ignite, with fire then spreading through the stack
or shed.
Remove hay that has been wet through flood waters or rain
to reduce the risk of fire and further infrastructure damage.
Water-damaged hay can be used for compost but should
not be fed to stock as it can result in livestock health issues
ranging from production loss to death.
Flood water risk to humans
Dirty water, mud and silt that is left behind after a flood
can cause a variety of human health issues. Floodwater and
contaminated soil can harbour a range of diseases including
leptospira and Ecoli bacteria that can cause disease in both
humans and livestock.
Leptospirosis disease can occur in association with flood
water contaminated with infected animal and rat urine.
The bacteria usually enter through small breaks in the skin.
It can cause a flu-like illness but sometime more serious
ongoing illness can occur.
To avoid human health issues:
• Avoid accidentally ingesting dirty water, splashing it into
the eyes and mouth or on breaks in the skin which can
become infected
• Avoid swimming or wading in flood water. Cover cuts
and abrasions with waterproof dressings, especially
before coming into contact with soil, mud or flood water
• Wear footwear outdoors, especially when walking in mud
or moist soil
• Wear gloves when gardening and clearing debris
• Control rodents by cleaning up rubbish and removing
food sources that are close to housing
• Do not feed raw offal to dogs
• Wash hands with soap, as Leptospira bacteria are killed
by soap and disinfectants.
Further information is available on the DPI website:
• www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/299778/
hay-shed-fires.pdf
• www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/426574/
Buying-hay-or-silage-after-a-flood-fire-or-drought.pdf
Hunter LLS District Veterinarians: Jim Kerr, Kylie Greentree,
Digby Rayward and Lyndell Stone.
Contact your local veterinarian or Hunter LLS District
Veterinarian for more detailed information on flood related
livestock disease risks.
Wingham: Jim Kerr - 0429 532 855
Maitland: Kylie Greentree - 0428 498 687
Paterson: Digby Rayward - 0427 493 617
Scone: Lyndell Stone - 0427 322 311
Animal Health Newsletter - Issue 3, May 2015
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Coping after a flood
Extended payment options
for rates
Ratepayers in Local Government Areas declared as natural
disasters will be given an extension for payment of their
annual Hunter Local Land Services rates this year following
the recent flooding.
The Board of Hunter LLS recognises the significant hardship
people will face as a result of storms and floods and are
offering ratepayers the opportunity to defer payment by
three months.
The Hunter rates notices reflect a due date of 27 May 2015.
However for those ratepayers in natural disaster declared
Local Government Areas, rates will now be due on 27
August 2015.
Payment plans are available for all ratepayers, and may be a
preferred option for those flood-affected ratepayers.
This is just one way that Hunter LLS is helping affected
landholders get back on their feet as soon as possible.
Floods create a high level of stress that can affect emotional
health and wellbeing which can continue when dealing with
cleaning up and recovery. Sometimes this impact is obvious
immediately but often it is a slow process and can have a
long lasting effect.
If you, or someone you know, has been impacted and need
support, talk to your GP or contact a Rural Resilience Officer
or Rural Support Worker to see what services and training are
available.
Most people’s need for support is met by persons close to
them including family, friends and communities. Talking
to someone regularly along the road to recovery can help
personal health and wellbeing.
If you sense something is not quite right with someone,
chances are they might need a bit of extra support from the
people around them. Don’t ignore those signs but instead
take some time to start a conversation.
Making the decision to access professional assistance if
needed is a wise choice that can often help people to regain
emotional strength and resilience.
Rural Resilience Officers and Rural Support Workers can
provide information on the suite of assistance measures,
grants and support available to farmers and connect them to
relevant service providers.
For more information contact:
Rural Resilience Program
Tocal: Liane Corocher - 0427 188 643
Scone: Caroline Hayes - 0407 971 675
www.dpi.nsw.gov.au
Contact us
Email: admin.hunter@lls.nsw.gov.au
Website: www.lls.nsw.gov.au/hunter
Facebook: www.facebook.com/HunterLLS
Kooragang: 4964 9308
Maitland Saleyards*:
4932 8866 (10am to 3pm)
Merriwa*: 6548 2175 (open Mon-Tue 9am to 4pm and Wed 9am to 3.30pm)
Muswellbrook: 6542 4444
Paterson: 4930 1030
Scone*: 6545 1311 (9am to 3pm)
Singleton*: 6572 2944
Taree: 6551 8994
Tocal*: 4939 8967
Wingham*: 6553 4233
Wyong: 4352 5100
Opening hours are 8.30am to 4.30pm unless otherwise
stated. Contact offices marked with an (*) for enquiries on
rates.
Tell us what you think
Hunter LLS wants to hear from you. We want to know what
your concerns and your priorities are so we can tailor the
services we provide to you.
Please take a minute to complete our Service Delivery Survey
online at www.hunter.lls.nsw.gov.au
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Animal Health Newsletter - Issue 3, May 2015
Hunter LLS Biosecurity Officers Luke Booth and Ross Garland,
who where among the many LLS staff that played a vital role
in the flood response.
Rapid flood response and recovery
Following the storm and flooding in the Lower Hunter, Local
Land Services joined staff from DPI and other agencies to
assist flood-affected farmers and affected communities.
Hunter LLS and DPI:
• responded to 148 requests for assistance
• distributed 20 tonnes of emergency fodder
• supplied fodder to 1,800 cattle, 480 horses and 12
camels
• arranged 40 helicopter sorties to stranded stock
• provided helicopter support to ferry food to 50,000
stranded chickens
• removed and/or disposed of more than 500 dead
livestock
• responded to 25 requests for support with stranded
stock
• assisted with missing and found stock.