Poultry Litter – keep livestock away

Hayden Morrow, Agriculture Victoria, Bendigo

Variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease (vCJD) is a fatal human degenerative brain disease. Overseas humans consuming meat affected with ‘Mad cow disease’ (classical BSE) has been linked to vCJD cases.

BSE and Scrapie which affects sheep, are known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE’s). Due to TSE’s potential impact on human health markets are very sensitive to their occurrence.

Brazil recently reported a case of atypical BSE which is a rare condition that can arise sporadically in older cattle. It has a lower transmission risk then classical BSE. Despite this Brazil has still needed to temporarily suspend exporting beef to China.

Ruminants consuming restricted animal material (RAM) is known to be a risk of transmitting TSE’s. RAM is defined as any material taken from a vertebrate animal other than tallow, gelatin, milk products or treated oils. It includes rendered products, such as blood meal, meat and bone meals, fish meal, poultry meal, eggs, feather meal, and compounded feeds made from these products.

In Victoria an order made under the Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals (Control of Use) Act 1992 prohibits a person from offering for food or failing to reasonably prevent exposure of ruminants to RAM. This means if ruminants are exposed to RAM including poultry litter stockpiles that person could be prosecuted. In addition, ruminants that have been exposed to RAM are no longer eligible for LPA accreditation and are given a RAM status on the NLIS database. This will affect the marketability and processing costs of the livestock.

Poultry litter includes feathers, parts of carcases and sometimes meat and bone meal, thus it is considered RAM. When using poultry litter on farms, livestock must never have access to stockpiles. Inquisitive livestock will consume poultry litter if given access, use fencing to prevent their access.

In addition, livestock must not graze until pasture has grown well above the manure or a minimum of 21 days after spreading manure. Sometimes pasture growth can be slow and significantly more than 21 days is required.

Protect our international trade and never let ruminants have access RAM including stockpiles of poultry litter.