Biosecurity when bringing in new cattle

With plenty of cheap cattle making their way north, it’s important to think about biosecurity to make sure the trade isn’t derailed by something preventable. Similarly, good biosecurity can make sure taking on agistment doesn’t also mean taking on a new disease in your own herd. Where possible, ask the vendor about the health and management of the stock and ask for a National Health Statement before stock are loaded. A few other considerations are below.

Worms and fluke

If you’re bringing cattle up to fatten and turn off quickly growth is important so an induction drench is a good idea. Remember some pour-ons need good fat coverage to absorb well and there’s likely to be resistance to the cheapest drenches so have a think about what to use that will cover brown stomach worm and cooperia. ParaBoss product search tool can help you find a suitable drench. A worm egg count is cheap and easy too so if you don’t want to drench, consider a test to at least know what you’re dealing with.

Liver fluke is also worth considering for weight gains (it won’t persist in most of Queensland), but it is expensive to treat, there is resistance to some of the chemicals and not all chemicals treat all stages of fluke. So testing might be a best option to start, your vet or biosecurity officer can help.

Droughted stock

These animals will have weaker immune systems and their rumen may not be functioning that well, particularly following a long drive. Keep an eye out for infectious diseases like pink eye and respiratory diseases, and contact your vet early if you notice any signs like nasal discharge, depression or coughing.

If stock have to be in the yards on arrival, good quality palatable hay is a must. If you have a holding paddock with plenty of roughage, that might be better than poor quality hay, but watch out for gorging on toxic plants they’re unfamiliar with. Toxicity from plants can also surface later as stock are unfamiliar with the pasture and what to avoid e.g. Pimelea.

A small paddock is also a good idea for a couple of weeks to help them empty out any worm eggs after drenching, weed seeds from pasture they were on before and to pick up any diseased stock. Keep an eye on this paddock for the next year for anything unusual.

Keep the Fit to Load guidelines in mind too and check stock on arrival.

Vaccinations

A booster of 5in1 is cheap and a good idea because they will be coming onto lush feed, good conditions for clostridial diseases to thrive.

If you had flood water through your paddocks back in March, it might be worth thinking about 7in1 (mainly for breeders to prevent leptospirosis) and a botulism vaccination.

Bloat prevention is trickier but worth planning for. Have a look at this resource for some prevention strategies that might be feasible in your enterprise.

Other infectious diseases like Johne’s disease, vibriosis and pestivirus are always possibilities when introducing stock. If you’re just doing a short trade, consider keeping the mob separate from the rest of your stock and note the paddock/s they use. If they’re going to integrate with your stock/or your bulls are good at jumping fences, make sure your bulls are at least up to date with their vibrio vaccination and keep a close eye on your reproductive performance next year. There are vaccines for all of these diseases but they’re expensive so worth talking to your vet or advisor about your specific situation. Also remember Bovine Johne’s can also affect goats.

Flooded areas in the south

Any cattle from coastal flooded areas might warrant some extra caution too, check carefully for lameness, respond quickly to signs of scours and have a read about theileriosis, especially if you have any bush ticks on your place.