Towards a national livestock disease model

Abstract

A regional spatial simulation model for foot-and-mouth disease (AusSpread) has been used in the development of FMD preparedness and response policy in Australia for some years. While the AusSpread model provides great insight at a regional level, it is not capable of providing a national perspective on the potential size and distribution of disease outbreaks. A national perspective is particularly important in a country such as Australia, where livestock production practices, climate and environment differ substantially in different regions. In addition, complex and long-distance movements of animals within and between jurisdictions occur as part of normal production and marketing systems. Building on an earlier collaboration with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry (DAFF) is working with the University of New England (UNE) to develop a spatial simulation model of livestock disease on a national scale.