Whether you are in the AlpacaMAP or not, the new AAA Q-Alpaca Program has management benefits - and at very low cost !
(Q-Alpaca improves the MAP and goes further at much less cost.)

Welcome to the new AAA Q-Alpaca Program

This is an alpaca quality assurance program designed by the AAA Animal Health, Husbandry, and Welfare Reference Group for voluntary use by members, and fully endorsed by all State and Federal animal health authorities.

The Program is designed to:

1. Encourage easier and more affordable diagnosis monitoring, and management of known diseases, and so promote greater member participation.


2. Give maximum reduction of risk that a defined Emergency Animal Disease (such as Foot and Mouth Disease) could affect your herd in the event of an outbreak in Australia.


3. Ensure your alpaca herd remains healthy, by agreeing that any death within your herd is professionally investigated by the same approved veterinarian.


4. Ensure there is a minimal chance of taking certain preventable infections and infestations to your client’s herd, as well as preventing the introduction of these conditions to your herd. (Examples of such conditions include Johne’s Disease (JD), severe worm infestation, liver disease, gastric ulceration, liver fluke infestation, and coccidiosis.)


5. Allow those herds that are currently in the Alpaca Market Assurance Program (AlpacaMAP) for Johne’s Disease (JD) to get the benefit of an extra MN status point that is awarded to Q-Alpaca participants.  These herds will be able to maintain their MN status without further faecal testing, provided they maintain their membership of the Program.


6. Allow most herds that are NOT in the AlpacaMAP to gain the equivalence of MN1 status.

How do I apply for membership of the Program?

1. Please complete Form Q1 - Application manually or online.
2. Please complete Form Q2 - Agreement between Herd Owner/Manager and Approved Veterinarian.

• If downloading forms for manual completion please submit both Form Q1 and Form Q2 to the AAA National Office at the same time.
• If completing Form Q1 online, please also download Form Q2 and submit both Parts A and B together to the AAA National Office as soon as possible after completing the online application.

  Please ensure that you keep a copy of the acknowledgement (i.e. Thank you notice) that you receive immediately after the electronic submission of Form Q1. This will be required to complete your Form Q3 at year end.

Form Q1 identifies your herd, the numbers in it, and your participating veterinarian; it also ensures your herd is eligible. This means that your herd:

1. Is not running on land that is also grazed by cattle, goats or deer, unless those species are in the appropriate Market Assurance Program.
2. If sheep are grazed on the property that is used for alpaca, these sheep will have an ABC Score of at least 2.  (Members in the AlpacaMAP may be puzzled at the difference between this requirement and the lack of any such requirement in the MAP; the reason is that the MAP requires a continuous series of tests, whereas the Q-Alpaca Program relies on one examination after death. It could happen that if an alpaca developed OJD it could be excreting JD bacteria and carrying it to other properties and herds in the Q-Alpaca Program, and this would not be discovered until the post-mortem examination.)
3. Is not running on property used in the previous 24 months for grazing dairy or dairy-cross cattle.

Cost

There will be a modest annual fee for each herd to cover AAA administrative expenses for the Program. The fee for 2010/11 will be $28.00 for herds up to 20 registered alpacas, and $60.00 for larger registered herds, both including GST.   An additional management fee will be charged by your approved veterinarian, similar to the fee charged for management of the current AlpacaMAP.

What does the program entail?

The Program uses Forms to describe:

1. A Herd and Property Management Plan, which is an agreement between the owner and the approved veterinarian to maintain Q-Alpaca Program requirements.
   PLEASE NOTE: Members currently in the AlpacaMAP can use their MAP Plan for the Q-Alpaca Program.


2. Keeping of a register that identifies animals that come onto or leave your property.


3. Provision of an Annual Stock Return to your approved veterinarian, containing herd (not financial) details similar to those needed for the Australian Taxation Office.


4. An agreement with your approved veterinarian to conduct a post-mortem examination of any animal over 12 months of age that dies or is euthanased for any reason, and any cria under 12 months with a history of wasting or diarrhoea that dies or is euthanased.

PLEASE NOTE: As for the AlpacaMAP, the Program requires your veterinarian to be approved under the Accreditation Program for Australian Veterinarians (APAV). There are provisions for a non-accredited veterinarian to conduct required post-mortem examinations, but he/she would need the approval of the relevant State Chief Veterinary Officer.

Application

You can download and print the forms from the AAA web site. You can also complete the application (form Q1) online, which will be sent directly to the AAA National Office by e-mail. Alternatively, you can telephone the AAA National Office to ask for the forms to be posted or faxed to you. Contact Chris Collins (Tel) 03 9873 7700 ext. 2. When completed, the forms can be e-mailed to Chris Collins at chris@alpaca.asn.au or posted to: AAA Ltd. P O Box 1076, Mitcham North, VIC 3132

Forms

• Q1-Application
• Q2-Agreement
• Q3-Annual Stock Return
• Q4-Post-Mortem Report
• Q5-Herd/Property Plan

THIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF THE AUSTRALIAN ALPACA ASSOCIATION LTD.

THE ANIMAL HEALTH, HUSBANDRY AND WELFARE REFERENCE GROUP HAS BEEN GIVEN RESPONSIBILITY FOR Q-ALPACA ADMINISTRATION, PROVIDED THAT THE APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF QUALITY ASSURANCE IS MAINTAINED.  PROCEDURES FOR THIS MAINTENANCE ARE INCLUDED IN THE FORMS THAT YOU AND YOUR APPROVED VETERINARIAN WILL COMPLETE.