Your guide to safe chemical usage

Effective chemical usage is key to disease mitigation, livestock pain relief and pest management. It is important to understand how these treatments can be used successfully, safely and without creating further hazards to your property.

The Livestock Production Assurance (LPA) program covers many aspects of best practice livestock management, including use of chemicals on property.

Chemical use is covered through the LPA requirements of:

• property risk assessment
• safe and responsible animal treatments
• fodder crops, grain, pasture treatments and stock food

Strategic chemical use

Medications and other chemicals can be used for livestock health and biosecurity concerns, such as:

• diseases, such as footrot, Johne’s disease and leptospirosis
• parasites, such as worms, flies, ticks and lice
• pain relief during castration, mulesing or dehorning
• pest control, including poisons for wild dogs, foxes, feral pigs, other invasive animals and insects
• weed control, for invasive plant species.

Some livestock diseases can impact human health through contact with infected animals which poses a food safety risk. Other diseases may not affect humans, but can be transmitted asymptomatically between properties, livestock and people causing a biosecurity risk. Both food safety and biosecurity risks can impact Australia's ability to export red meat and need to be managed effectively.

Chemical contamination or biosecurity risks can have numerous negative impacts, including:

• livestock pain or death
• livestock illness which impacts red meat integrity
• human illness
• profit and production losses
• property damage
• biosecurity incidents resulting in livestock standstills and quarantines.

Specific treatments

While there are non-chemical methods for overcoming common livestock health and biosecurity risks, some common chemical methods used to help mitigate risks include:

• disease: Vaccinations and antibiotics
• parasites: Synthetic pyrethroids and macrocyclic lactones
• pain relief: Anaesthesias and Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAID)
• pest control: Den fumigation and poison baiting
• weed control: Herbicides and spray grazing.

Chemicals must be used safely and carefully as misuse can result in contamination. Veterinary medicines must be used under direction of your veterinarian. Ensure you are using all chemicals as per their instructions and are trained and certified to use the products correctly. Completing a ChemCERT or equivalent training course is an effective way to ensure you are using chemicals correctly.

Understand your chemical responsibilities

The LPA program provides a best practice method for producers to understand their requirements for safe and responsible on-farm chemical use, including a series of steps for effective and safe utilisation. This involves:

• completing a property risk assessment
• completing a biosecurity plan
• storing chemicals in a secure place according to instructions on the label
• completing a certified chemical user’s course
• ensuring equipment used for applying chemicals or medicines is suitable and calibrated
• documenting details of all chemical use, including:
  • product name and batch number (try taking a photo)
  • withholding period (WHP) or export slaughter interval (ESI)
  • treatment date
  • treated livestock or property area and possible contaminations.
  • ISC’s free record-keeping templates are an easy way to ensure records are accurate
• ensuring livestock cannot access treated pasture while in a WHP
• ensuring livestock in a WHP or ESI are accurately declared on an NVD
• monitoring livestock for any symptoms or side effects of disease or treatments.

Research your best options

It is important to research products and use before purchasing. Using the correct chemical for the correct purpose is crucial to maximising effectiveness. For animal treatments, talk to your local veterinarian for recommendations, as well as your local livestock product retailer.

For more information on parasite-specific mitigation, ParaBoss remains one of Australia's most prominent sources for parasite management information, with a range of practical and cost-effective recommendations for parasite control.