W.IAW.2206 - Portable Cattle Yard project for Indonesia

Summary

The portable cattle yard project was an initiative from MLA to assist the Indonesian vaccination program in the early outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and lumpy skin disease (LSD) in 2022. The Australian industry and government also provided support for vaccines and biosecurity support project for the Indonesian cattle industry.

Portable cattle yards (PCY) were distributed to six provinces, to aid their vaccination program, especially in areas where they don't have the necessary infrastructure to restrain and safely handle the animals. PCYs are also used for other animal husbandry services by the local government, such as pregnancy testing and other animal health treatments.

Feedback from users is very positive, as the yard is portable and easy to move around using a small van/carrier. The capacity of 20–30 head is applicable for cattle producer areas. The design was also adopted by the Red Meat and Cattle Partnership (RMCP), where they provided another five yards to the local government.

Objectives

The project aim to provide a design of portable cattle yard that are suitable for local manufactured in Indonesia, mobile, knock-down system, and easy to use. The yard built then distributed to provinces with the highest case rate and big population of cattle/buffalo to aid the local officials in their vaccination program for FMD and LSD.

Key findings

The design is suitable for the Indonesia cattle areas, and easy to move around using a regular size car. However, to gain the flexibility, the design then compromised with the strength of the panels.

Benefits to industry

Helping the vaccination program for local cattle especially in buffer zones around feedlots.