Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Jan;99(1-2):32-39.
doi: 10.1111/avj.13026. Epub 2020 Oct 5.

Impacts of major health conditions affecting the Australian sheepmeat value chain: a review

E Dal Grande  1   2 , C Caraguel  1 , S J Lee  1 , T D Nielsen  1
Affiliations

Impacts of major health conditions affecting the Australian sheepmeat value chain: a review

E Dal Grande et al. Aust Vet J. 2021 Jan.

Abstract

Major health conditions in sheep contribute to substantial economic losses throughout the sheepmeat supply chain in Australia. A systematic review was undertaken to explore the measurable impact of six conditions: arthritis, sheep measles, pleurisy, pneumonia, grass seeds and rib fractures, on the production of lamb and mutton across the meat value chain. Peer-reviewed scientific literature from three databases and non-peer-reviewed articles and reports from Australian government and non-government websites were searched between 11 and 17 November 2019. Original articles, including studies conducted in Australia and New Zealand, that had measurable impacts on conditions of interest were included. The search yielded 16 articles and reports and were classified as producer impact and/or processor impact studies. Mortalities were quantified for pneumonia and arthritis, with pneumonia having the highest impact for producers. Grass seed infestation resulted in the highest impact on carcase and liveweight losses compared to arthritis and pneumonia. Arthritis had the highest trim weight losses for both lamb and mutton and the highest rate of carcase condemnation. Grass seed was the only condition where other impacts on the processor (chain speed and staff relocation to the boning room) were quantified. Although quantifiable production and processing losses were available for some conditions, this review has highlighted that limited quantifiable data based on scientifically sound research were not available for other conditions. The evidence for some conditions found in this review can be used to target future research activities and to further assist producers in making informed management decisions on prevention and control.

Keywords: animal production; disease; health conditions; impact; meat value chain; sheep.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences. About my region - South Australia: Agricultural sector, 2018. Available at: http://www.agriculture.gov.au/abares/research-topics/aboutmyregion/sa#ag.... Accessed 16 October 2018.
    1. Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences. Agricultural commodities: September quarter 2018 - commodities - data tables, 2018. Available at: http://www.agriculture.gov.au/abares/research-topics/agricultural-commod.... Accessed 16 October 2018.
    1. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation. FAOSTAT. Rome, Statistics Division, FAO, 2017.
    1. AWI. Wool industry - Naitonal RD&E Strategy 2018-2022. Sydney, Australian Wool Innovation Limited, 2018.
    1. Swan AA, Banks RG, Brown DJ et al. An update on genetic progress in the Australian sheep industry. In: 23rd Conference Association for the Advancement of Animal Breeding and Genetics, 2-5 July, Townsville, Queensland, Australia, 2017;365-369.

Publication types