Vaccine protects from deadly Hendra virus

In a significant breakthrough in the fight against the deadly Hendra virus, the CSIRO has announced that a new vaccine is producing positive results. The vaccine, developed at the CSIRO’s Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL), has been proven in trials to prevent the infection of horses with Hendra virus. It is hoped that by stopping the disease in horses, people can also be protected from the deadly disease. Hendra virus first appeared in 1994 and five of the 14 known outbreaks have spread to people. The virus has killed four of the seven people infected.

Bendigo beef seminar

A National Beef Industry Seminar to be held at Bendigo tomorrow will focus on technology in the beef industry and ways to generate more beef from pasture. Guest speakers will include Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) market information and analysis manager Tim McRae; JBS Australia's national livestock manager Brett Campbelll; Meat Standards Australia (MSA), livestock supply co-ordinator Edwina Lord, Blue Sky Agribusiness’ Cye Travers and producer David Webb Ware. The free seminar runs from 10am to 3:30pm. For more details contact Melissa Neal on (03) 5430 4374.

Fines for tick offences

The NSW Government his issued fines to two stock owners for offences related to sending tick-infected cattle to market. A Tweed stock owner was fined $550 after NSW DPI officers found ticks on a consignment of cattle sent to the Murwillumbah saleyards.  Another $550 fine was issued to a Coaldale woman who sent cattle-tick infected stock to Grafton saleyards in February. Cattle ticks are a notifiable disease in NSW  which means stock owners must report findings, and outbreaks must be eradicated. NSW DPI inspectors had so far detected seven separate cases of cattle ticks on livestock this season.

EU becomes net beef exporter

For the first time since 2003, the European Union became a net export of fresh and frozen beef in 2010. A significant rise in European beef exports to Russia and Turkey coincided with a reduction in the amount of beef imported from South America during the 2010 calendar year. The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board said EU beef exports rose 178 per cent to 215,000 tonnes while imports at 203,000 tonnes were down 10 per cent on the year.