Surveillance for BSE in cattle and scrapie in sheep on properties and red meat processing plants is the largest component within the TSEFAP. Without this surveillance, Australia could not claim the highest disease status for the two TSEs.
The second largest project of TSEFAP is the Australian Ruminant Feed Ban (ARFB), which restricts the feeding of Restricted Animal Material (RAM) to ruminants, and thus minimizes the risk of amplification of a TSE if it were ever to enter Australia. Significant numbers of inspections and audits are carried out through industry quality assurance programs and by government staff every year to make sure that all sectors of the supply chain comply with the ARFB.
The findings from the program continue to support Australia’s negligible risk status for TSEs under the World Organisation for Animal Health’s requirements.