VICTORIAN producer groups that met last Thursday have arrived at a consensus position on how they believe future OJD management should be progressed.
Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) livestock committee president Ian Feldtmann said the meeting was an opportunity for all those who attended to state their position on where they saw the future of the OJD management program going.
It was attended by representatives from the Victorian Stud Merino Breeders’ Association; the north-west Victorian producers looking to establish a biosecurity area; saleyard association for Victoria and Ouyen, and leader of the industry-formed group Frank Tobin.
“There was consensus that the present program has worked well in the past, that vaccination is an important tool that can be used to manage OJD and that it should be a part of a future program as far as recognition for trading goes,” Mr Feldtmann said.
“That’s the stance the VFF livestock group has had on the issue. It was a meeting where for the first time there were different representative producer bodies from Victoria that sat down and discussed it.”
Mr Feldtmann said the meeting was not exclusive and he was willing to discuss it with anyone who wanted a summary.