Animal diseases pose a significant threat to Australia’s agricultural industries, resulting in livestock productivity losses, trade restrictions, and increased disease control costs. Despite Australia’s strong animal health status, this is increasingly challenged by environmental changes that affect pest and disease spread, as well as the rising frequency of extreme weather events. The movement of people, livestock, and wildlife further heightens the risk of pest and disease entry into Australia, intensifying pressures to maintain disease-free claims from trading partners and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).

In addition to impacting food systems, animal diseases threaten native wildlife and pose zoonotic risks, with over 30 new human pathogens identified in the past three decades, at least 75% of which originated in animals. The emergence of zoonotic diseases is a major threat to global health security, livelihoods, and economies. Addressing these challenges requires a concerted effort to understand viral diversity and the factors driving disease outbreaks.

This Initiative is creating high-quality reference data on known and novel pathogens and parasites to support fundamental research and disease control efforts, including surveillance, diagnostics, epidemiological studies, tracking antimicrobial resistance, and informing vaccine development.