Emergency Animal Disease Response Plan

Purpose. Sets out how Southern Cross will recognise, report and respond to a suspected emergency or notifiable animal disease in livestock at the plant, including foot and mouth disease and lumpy skin disease.

1.Purpose and scope

This plan applies to all livestock received at the Wodonga plant and to all workers, contractors and visitors who enter the lairage or slaughter floor. It supports the national response arrangements and the directions of the Victorian Chief Veterinary Officer and the on-plant veterinary officer. The plan is exercised at least once a year.

2.Recognising a suspect case

Workers in lairage and on the slaughter floor must know the signs of the priority diseases and must report any suspect animal or carcase immediately. Suspicion is enough to trigger the plan; confirmation is not required.

• Blisters or erosions on the mouth, tongue, feet or teats
• Excessive salivation and lameness across several animals
• Firm raised skin nodules over the body
• Sudden deaths in a consignment
• Unusual nervous signs
• Unexpected condemnations at post-mortem

3.Immediate actions

The person who identifies a suspect case must notify the animal welfare officer and the on-plant veterinary officer immediately. The Livestock and Lairage Manager must stop all livestock movements onto and off the site, isolate the consignment, and stop slaughter of the affected species until the veterinary officer advises otherwise. The General Manager must be notified within fifteen minutes.

4.Notification

The on-plant veterinary officer will notify the state authority and the export regulator. Southern Cross will not make any external statement about a suspect case other than through the General Manager and in coordination with the authorities. The Emergency Animal Disease Watch Hotline contact and the state authority contact are held in the lairage office and the QA office.

5.Site controls

Establish a decontamination point at the lairage entry with disinfectant footbaths and wheel wash. Restrict access to essential personnel. Retain all effluent and manure on site. Trace and record every consignment received in the previous fourteen days, the property of origin and the transport operator using the livestock receivals system.

6.Product and premises

Hold all product from the affected consignment and from consignments processed on the same shift in the loadout orders system pending veterinary direction. Prepare for cleaning and disinfection of the lairage, slaughter floor and transport vehicles to the standard directed by the authorities. Document every action with time and person.

7.Recovery and review

Resume operations only when directed by the authorities and the on-plant veterinary officer. Debrief within one week of stand down, record lessons and update this plan and the training program. Communicate with staff about job security, welfare support and health monitoring throughout the event.