Latest News• Add My News • Search Old News Gippsland › Latest news › Department of Primary IndustriesAvoiding Chemical Residues In Your CalvesUnacceptable residues from veterinary and stock chemicals are one of the biggest threats to our domestic and export meat trade. Bobby calves are a potential food product. By observing the following points, the risk of chemical residues in your calves should be successfully avoided: Read the label Always read the label before using any chemical. Labels contain important information such as dose rates, frequency of treatment and withholding periods. Use the right dose Always use the dose rate and frequency of treatment recommended on the label. Overdosing can prolong the excretion of the drug in which case the recommended withholding period and/or Export Slaughter Interval (ESI) will no longer be valid. Follow treatment directions Treatment should only be administered to animals for which the drug is recommended or prescribed, by the route recommended by the label. Be especially careful not to allow contaminated milk from cows treated with veterinary drugs such as dry cow treatments to be fed to bobby calves you intend to sell for slaughter. Identify treated animals Identify treated animals at the time of treatment with a visual mark that is readily understood by all involved in dealing with the animals. Retain that identification for the withholding period and/or ESI and if possible keep those animals isolated at the time of and following treatment. A number of chemical residue detections have resulted from the inadvertent sale of a treated calf. Maintain treatment records Treatment records should contain the identity of the animal, treatment date, drug used, dosage given and the date the withholding period and/or ESI ends. This will help prevent the accidental sale of calves before the relevant withholding period and/or ESI has expired. Observe withholding periods The withholding period is the minimum period of time that must elapse between the last use of a drug or chemical and the sale of an animal for human consumption in Bobby calves that receive contaminated milk from treated cows must be withheld from sale for the same meat withholding period as that applicable to the cow. Check the Export Slaughter Interval (ESI) An ESI is the minimum period of time that must elapse between the last use of a drug or chemical and the sale of an animal for export processing. Although a first glance this list may appear onerous, it does provide a guide to avoiding chemical residues in your calves, and over time it should become a routine practice. For further information please contact your local veterinarian or DPI Veterinary or Animal Health Officer. NEW WILD DOG MANAGEMENT GROUP MEETS The second term of the Gippsland Wild Dog Management Group (GWDMG) has recently commenced. This is a pro-active result for Gippsland. The GWDMG has six landholder representatives. Alan Brown from Orbost, Geoff Burston from Benambra and Rob Gilder from Licola are returning for a second term. The new landholder representatives are Nigel Hodge from Gelantipy, Frank O Connor from Bengworden and Fraser Barry, Bindi (Swifts Creek). The GWDMG also has four government representatives. These are Stefan Kaiser (DPI), Helen Dixon (Parks Victoria), Rob Stewart and Glenn Digby (DSE). Vaughn Kingston remains the executive officer to the Group. "The first meeting was about orientation of the new members and developing a shared understanding of the Terms of Reference, and how the Group works within the Victorian Pest Management Framework," Mr Kingston said. The members have established sub-committees based on the implementation summary within the Gippsland Wild Dog Action Plan. The activities are control techniques, monitoring and reporting, information and research, resources and funding. Alan Brown, Chair of the GWDMG said over the course of this year the focus of the Group will be to see as many of these actions progressed as possible. "This will provide for a more integrated and strategic wild dog program in Gippsland," Mr Brown said. "I also would like to thank the members of the inaugural GWDMG for their efforts to date, in particular, to the previous chair, Judith Henderson." Some of the achievements of the previous group include:
Updates on the wild dog program and the activities of the GWDMG will be publicised regularly through local media. For more information on the Gippsland Wild Dog Program contact your local GWDMG member or Vaughn Kingston on (03) 51 520 600. Source: http://gippsland.com/ Published by: news@gippsland.com
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