WAGGA researchers are at the coalface of what is shaping up to be a national survey for sheep and wool producers.
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The survey, which includes producers throughout the country, will help researchers make inroads in health and biosecurity practices. It will help the research and scientific community determine how to represent sheep and wool in future work and projects.
Research through the Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation is being led by Charles Sturt University (CSU) senior lecturer, Dr Marta Hernandez-Jover.
“This survey aims to build our knowledge about Australian sheep producers, their animal health management, and attitudes towards surveillance for emergency animal diseases,” Dr Hernandez-Jover said.
“We also want to investigate how sheep producers can be better supported to improve on-farm profitability and animal health management, through innovative communication and extension approaches,” she said. Postdoctoral researcher Dr Jennifer Manyweathers said without producers there would be no projects.
“We want to work with producers to improve surveillance and how we work from the ground up within their networks,” she said.
“This is a fact-finding mission to see how people are feeling about animal health,” she said.
Dr Manyweathers conceded it was a fairly long survey but she encouraged producers to take the time and provide much-need information. “There is plenty of scope for open-ended answers too,” she said.
“Information from this study will contribute to current research on biosecurity and disease surveillance.”
“Our aim is to build producer-led and partnership based animal monitoring systems so that Australian livestock industries are more reliant and prepared for an outbreak of emergency animal disease.”
- To participate and provide industry information follow the links to www.surveymonkey.com/r/H9YNB2Z