SHEEP producers are preparing themselves for changes to Western Australia' Ovine Johne's Disease (OJD) requirements which take effect in the new year.
The changes will make the sale of sheep into South Australia from WA a far more difficult and costly exercise.
Esperance sheep producers aren't taking the change in OJD requirements lightly and are pushing for the region to be classified with its own independent OJD status, separate to the rest of WA.
WA has been reclassified from a low OJD prevalence area to medium after abattoir testing showed an increase in the prevalence of OJD, so the State's Assurance Based Credit (ABC) points will be reduced from four to two from January 1, 2011.
SA and Queensland both have restrictions on sheep sale or movements based on OJD points allocation, whereas all other States allow buyers to make their own risk assessment.
Victoria's north-west has also dropped from four to two ABC points, while SA retains its low prevalence area status, requiring four ABC points for unrestricted movement of sheep older than one year.
So sheep going for slaughter in SA need at least two ABC points, while lambs being moved to the State do not need any ABC points provided they go to slaughter before they reach two-tooth.
All sheep, regardless of ABC score, can travel through SA, and sheep with two or more points can be rested at the State's holding yards.
WAFarmers meat section president, Jeff Murray, said the changes would have the biggest impact on producers that did not have OJD and particularly those in the Esperance area, and pastoralists along the Nullarbor, that have traditionally traded stock with the Eastern States.
Mr Murray said the changes could potentially have massive financial implications for the industry as it would severely restrict interstate trade.
"If we get seasons like we've just had where so many sheep have gone to the east, to take South Australia out of the equation would have made a big difference on prices," Mr Murray said.
"In 1969 to 1970, when we were in a drought position like this year, we were getting 20 to 30 cents a head for our livestock.
"Obviously we're in a different era now and there's more demand for sheepmeat, but processors don't need much of a reason to drive the price down."
Mr Murray said it was disappointing that the large percentage of producers in the State were suffering for a limited few who had not dealt with OJD effectively.
"The whole sheep industry is paying for a limited area that has not been prepared to bite the bullet and sort out their OJD problem," Mr Murray said.
"Those people are dragging the rest of the State down."
Esperance sheep producer and WAFarmers meat section vice president, John Wallace, said through their local group, ASHEEP, he and other local producers were working towards having the region be rated with its own individual OJD status.
Mr Wallace, who runs 5000 breeding ewes, said without their own OJD status, producers in the Esperance zone would lose a significant market if they were excluded from SA.
"We've written to Agriculture and Food Minister, Terry Redman, and Nationals WA MLC, Wendy Duncan, has also taken our case to the Minister," Mr Wallace said.
"In my opinion, the OJD committee was loaded with people from the area where OJD is most prevalent, so anything that came out was always going to be one-sided.
"We're a lot closer to the South Australian market and we've been selling into that market for quite a few years, it's a good market for us.
"If we get excluded from SA, we lose a considerable amount of market share."
Mr Wallace said at the moment, truckloads to the east were made up with sheep from a number of different producers, so gaining access to the market would not simply be a case of one producer changing their OJD status.
He said that's why it would be easier for the whole area to have a different status, although he admitted it could pose some potential challenges to sheep trading within WA.
"The age-old argument is that we should just vaccinate against OJD, but that's just another impost," Mr Wallace said.
"I think it's nearly $5/head to vaccinate, and if you're running 10,000 sheep like we do, that's $50,000 - I'm staggered."
While Mr Redman had taken notice of their request, Mr Wallace said he wasn't overly confident at their chances of changing the current system but they would keep fighting.
"Personally, I think the Agriculture and Food Department have been pretty weak with the whole thing," he said.
"They should have made the producers in that main OJD area, or all those producers with OJD, fill out an animal health statement.
"But they've been that weak with it that unless you actually ask for an animal health statement, you could be buying sheep with OJD without even knowing it.
"The Department have basically just rolled over and accepted that we've got it.
"Really, there's been no consultation and I don't think producers in the Esperance region or pastoralists have been adequately represented on this issue."
In order for WA producers to be able to access the South Australian market next year, they will have to gain extra ABC points which can be done by abattoir inspection of their sheep, testing pooled samples of faeces and vaccination as set out in the National Sheep Health Statement.
At abattoir inspection, one ABC point can be claimed following inspection of 150 representative sheep over two years of age valid for 12 months and two ABC points are gained by inspection of 500 representative sheep over two years of age valid for 24 months.
Mr Murray said there was also ongoing testing for OJD, and thankfully after an industry win, producers were now notified of the results regardless.
"They do a lot of testing here but they would only ever let you know if you were positive," he said.
"So your sheep may have been tested but if they were negative, you wouldn't know - which doesn't make a lot of sense when industry is paying for the testing and not getting benefit from it.
"But that's changed now, which is good news."
