This was the message from Biosecurity Queensland experts in an industry webinar program broadcast on October 16. The internet technology is now regularly used as a means of communicating through the Leading Sheep producer network.

Senior livestock inspector Peter Frazer said vigilance was required when bringing sheep from interstate to avoid introducing the disease. Young sheep could carry the bacteria for years without showing any signs of disease or spreading it in their faeces.

Queensland has strict entry requirements for sheep coming into the State which can be accessed on the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries website.

Mr Frazer said a national scoring system was now in place to rank the OJD status of sheep.

“It is critical that you carefully check the paperwork with sheep you purchase from interstate. Do your homework thoroughly because OJD is easy to introduce and very hard to get rid of,” Mr Frazer said.

Biosecurity Queensland principal veterinary officer Janet Berry said the disease had spread in the last decade from south eastern NSW into eastern Victoria and South Australia with several infected flocks in Western Australia.

Very occasionally OJD has been introduced to Queensland with infected sheep in the past, but has been successfully eliminated. The disease has not been detected in sheep born and bred in Queensland.

“It’s an untreatable disease which causes loss of condition leading to death in older sheep. We are very lucky that we do not have it in Queensland,” Dr Berry said.