As COVID19 surges forth in a second wave here in Victoria, I thought I would share our experience.
This season one of our smaller herds of cattle was struck hard with a virus.
(This virus only affects cattle. The meat is fit for human consumption, although we choose to remove those effected from our herd)
It affected most of the unborn calves. It turns out the newly expectant mums were unwittingly exposed to the disease in the early stages of their pregnancy. We lost 4 calves at birth. And the ones that survived were very weak and lethargic. We didn’t know what had happened.
After a lot of time, money, blood samples and tissue cultures, we have been able to narrow down where the virus came from. Just ONE animal in the whole herd was a carrier of the virus. She showed no ill effects of the disease. This one cow was asymptomatic, yet she has had such an impact on our next generation and our bottom line!
Fortunately for us we had that smaller herd quarantined away from other animals. If we hadn’t done that, the impact on us financially would have been devastating. Not to mention the emotional struggle it is to see animals not at peak health and happiness.
So what have we learned?
Although quarantine and restrictions can be difficult, time consuming, expensive, frustrating, and sometimes heartbreaking, it is worth it.
Because the meat is still fit for human consumption, many people ignore the problem. Putting up with weak, sickly and underperforming animals. Shrugging it off as a bad year. They don’t want to put the work in to eliminate the problem. This only acts to spread the disease. Now it’s estimated that up to 50% of all herds in Australia have the disease.
We are glad we have done the hard work, stuck with it, and eliminated the threat. Now that we have come out the other side we are much better equipped to limit outbreaks in the future. We are proud that none of our animals have the virus. None of our animals are now asymptomatic and carrying the disease. We hold our heads high knowing we are not perpetuating the problem.
Once again we can stand by the quality of our product. Not just because it is healthy, tasty and delicious (it has always been that) but because we are proud to be doing the right thing by the animals in our care and the community we service.
Coronavirus quarantine has been lifting in our communities and we were glad to see people out and about again. Please keep our experience in mind. It only takes one carrier, with no symptoms, to have a devastating effect on others.
Now there is a second wave imminent, there is no need to panic. Join our waiting list for delicious farm fresh beef to fill your freezer. We will do our best to fill your need as quick as possible.
No matter what happens, please continue to stay safe and think of others.
When the time is right, we would love to see you stretch your legs on our farm. Visit the peaceful township of Woodend (1hr west of Melbourne) and enjoy the fresh air and open spaces as I take you around our farm.
Why not join the waiting list for a farm tour. Join the list HERE
Regards
Farmer Steph
