The risk of introduction of disease-causing organisms through the importation of live sheep and goats from Australia is considered in this risk analysis. Options are presented for sanitary measures to manage the risk associated with the following Bacillus anthracis, exotic Mycoplasma spp., exotic Salmonella spp., Leptospira spp., Coxiella burnetii, ticks, lice, internal parasites, Echinococcus granulosus, weed seeds, plants, and plant material.

Risk management options include quarantine, sourcing of animals from trustworthy sources, treatment, vaccination, diagnostic testing, implementation of legislative principles to prevent the establishment of an agent, and a prohibition on importation of live animals as appropriate for each case. A range of options of varying stringency has been suggested for each risk.

To prevent the re-introduction of Echinococcus granulosus it may be appropriate not to allow the importation of live animals and rely solely upon the importation of germplasm to ensure New Zealand’s access to improved ovine genetics. This measure would also effectively manage the risks associated with Bacillus anthracis, internal parasites, ticks, lice, and weed seeds, plants and plant material.

A new disease causing fever, reduced milk production, diarrhoea, and abortion emerged in Germany in August 2011. A virus was demonstrated by a newly developed real-time RT-PCR and named Schmallenberg virus (SBV), according to the location where the disease was first described. Since then, disease caused by SBV has been reported throughout Europe.

Horizontal transmission of SBV requires the presence of a competent vector. The only known vectors are Culicoides spp. A Culicoides surveillance programme has been operating in New Zealand since 1991. Sentinel cattle are monitored for seroconversion to viruses transmitted by Culicoides spp. To date, no seroconversion has been detected in sentinel cattle and no Culicoides have been trapped. As there is no evidence of a competent vector in New Zealand, it can be concluded that if SBV were introduced into New Zealand with imported viraemic live animals, the disease would be unable to establish. Although recent evidence indicates SBV may be found in the semen of infected bulls, foetal malformations are only likely to occur if a foetus is infected at a vulnerable stage of pregnancy, estimated to be between day 28 and day 50 of pregnancy in sheep, in cattle between day 62 and day 110, and in goats around day 40. It is therefore very unlikely that foetal malformations would be seen in progeny derived from infected germplasm.

This assessment concludes that there is no justification for any additional risk management measures against SBV in the import health standards for live animals or their germplasm from any country.

This analysis considers the risk of introduction of scrapie through the importation of sheep and goat germplasm (semen or embryos). The risk analysis was considered necessary because there have been significant scientific advances since the last scrapie risk analyses were conducted in the early 1990s.

The results of embryo transfer experiments conducted since 2001 were examined, as well as the available literature on the likelihood of scrapie agent being present in semen.
The very significant advances made in understanding of the genetic control of scrapie were evaluated for their applicability in managing risks.

Developments in ante-mortem testing for the presence of scrapie infection were considered and evaluated for incorporation into import programmes. The developments in rapid post-mortem diagnostic tests were not considered in this analysis.

The analysis concludes that the likelihood of scrapie being introduced by embryo transfer is extremely low and the likelihood of introduction by semen is very low. However, because the risk of exposure is assessed as high and consequences of introduction are also high, the analysis concludes that measures to manage the risks are warranted.

Various risk management options, including the application of the international standards recommended in the OIE‟s Terrestrial Animal Health Code, are considered.

The possible risks posed by the agents of so-called „atypical‟ scrapie and bovine spongiform encephalopathy in sheep and goat germplasm are also assessed.

This risk analysis considers the risk of introduction of disease-causing organisms through the importation of sheep and goat genetic material (semen or embryos).

Eighty five disease agents were considered in the analysis. Forty five endemic agents and one exotic agent (Acholeplasma oculi) that was considered to be unlikely to be pathogenic and not an economically significant disease, were excluded from further consideration. Scrapie was not included in this risk analysis as it has been the subject of a previous risk analysis. Diseases caused by ectoparasites such as insects, ticks and mites, and endoparasites such as roundworms and tapeworms were not considered because these parasites cannot be transmitted by semen or by embryos.

All organisms classified as exotic were subjected to more detailed analysis. For each disease agent, a conclusion was reached as to whether the risk posed by the importation of semen or embryos was considered to be negligible or non-negligible.

For all diseases that were posed a non-negligible risk, recommendations for risk management were made. In 12 cases it was concluded that importation of germplasm would involve negligible risk. Many of these cases involved diseases that are transmitted exclusively by vectors that are not present in New Zealand. For the remaining cases risk management measures have been proposed. These measures generally involve quarantine procedures and or test procedures to ensure that the donors of germplasm are free from infection.

The risk analysis examines the biosecurity risks associated with the importation of frozen semen and in vivo derived frozen embryos of horses, donkeys and zebras (collectively referred to as equine germplasm) from Australia, Canada, the European Union and the United States of America.

The disease agents considered were those in the hazard list of the risk analysis for horses and horse semen carried out in 2000. Organisms that are already present in New Zealand were excluded from further consideration. A number of organisms were excluded on the grounds that they are not transmitted in germplasm, including protozoa with complex life cycles, arthropod parasites, helminth parasites, and disease agents that are transmitted exclusively by arthropod vectors or helminth intermediates.

Thirteen exotic organisms or strains of organisms were identified as hazards and these were submitted to further detailed analysis. As a result, the risks were considered to be non-negligible for the following organisms: equine infectious anaemia virus, equine herpesvirus-1, equine arteritis virus, Borna disease virus, exotic Leptospira serovars, Taylorella spp., and exotic Salmonella serovars. These organisms were therefore classified as risks in the commodities, and options for the efficient management of the risk have been suggested.

This risk analysis examines the risks involved with the importation of deer germplasm from any country. An extensive hazard list of organisms of potential concern that could be associated with deer germplasm has been collated and preliminary hazards are identified as those that meet specified criteria. Mycobacterium bovis is the only endemic organism retained as a preliminary hazard since it is the subject of an official control programme under the Biosecurity Act 1993. Organisms that do not cause diseases of deer and those that cannot be carried in germplasm are excluded. The latter group included all external and internal metazoan parasites and diseases which are transmitted only by arthropod vectors.

Organisms identified as hazards in the commodity are subjected to risk assessment to provide a risk estimate by considering the likelihood of entry (the disease agent being present in an animal at the time of importation), exposure (likelihood of spread and establishment if imported) and any adverse consequences likely to follow these events. For organisms that are classified as a risk, risk management options are presented including quarantine, serological testing, agent isolation or identification, treatment and restriction of germplasm donors to those originating from free herds, zones or countries.

The following are classified as risks in the commodity and risk management options have been suggested: Bovine viral diarrhoea virus 2, cervine adenovirus, cervid herpesvirus 1 and bovine herpesvirus 1, foot and mouth disease virus, lumpy skin disease virus, peste des petits ruminants virus, Rift Valley fever virus, vesicular stomatitis virus, Brucella spp., Chlamydophila abortus, exotic Leptospira serovars, Mycobacterium bovis, Mycoplasma bovis, Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides SC, Coxiella burnetii, exotic Salmonella serotypes and phage types, and chronic wasting disease.

This risk analysis covers the import of frozen bovine semen and in vivo derived bovine embryos from all countries.

An initial list of 86 disease agents was compiled. The list did not include arthropod and nematode parasites as these cannot be carried by semen or embryos. Further consideration of these resulted in a preliminary hazard list of 37 disease agents or groups of disease agents, which were subjected to risk analysis. In some cases risk analysis was done on a group of agents rather than a single agent e.g. Simbu group viruses, Salmonella spp., mollicutes of cattle etc.
28 of these preliminary hazards were identified to be hazards and were subjected to a risk assessment. 12 hazards were assessed to be associated with a negligible risk and, in these cases, no risk management measures are required.

A non-negligible risk was identified with the following: Borna disease virus, bovine viral diarrhoea virus type 2, Crimean Congo haemorrhagic fever virus, foot and mouth disease virus, exotic bovine herpes viruses, lumpy skin disease virus, Rift Valley fever virus, vesicular stomatitis virus, exotic Brucella spp., Mycobacterium bovis, Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides SC, other exotic Mycoplasma spp., exotic Salmonella spp., exotic Leptospira spp., Chlamydophila abortus, and Coxiella burnetii. Options for risk management measures in order to effectively manage the risk associated with each of these have been presented.