Emergency Preparedness

The Emergency Animal Disease Response Agreement

The Emergency Animal Disease Response Agreement is a landmark agreement has been ratified by Australia’s governments and livestock industries to ensure a rapid and efficient response to exotic animal disease incursions in Australia’s valuable livestock sector.The agreement is a world first and includes mechanisms for formal government/industry consultation on resource allocation, funding, training and risk mitigation.

AUSVETPLAN

The Australian livestock industries and the government jurisdictions have taken a proactive approach to being prepared for such an event if a TSE (specifically BSE or scrapie) ever occurred in this country. The AUSVETPLAN Disease Strategy for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathies (BSE) – Edition 3, Version 3.1, 2005 provides a technical response plan that describes the proposed Australian approach to an incident of BSE in Australia while the AUSVETPLAN Disease Strategy for Scrapie – Edition 3, Version 3.0, 2009 provides a technical response plan that describes the proposed Australian approach to an incident of Scrapie in Australia. These documents provide guidance based on sound analysis, linking policy, strategies, implementation, coordination and emergency-management plans.

The disease strategy for BSE within the AUSVETPLAN framework was first developed in 1996 and recently updated in 2003 along with a contingency plan for vCJD. These and other plans are regularly tested through simulation exercises and reviewed in light of new scientific information.

Page Updated: 27 May 2009