Ticked off from spread
TICKS are one of the biggest pest and disease problems plaguing our cattle industry, with the cost across northern Australia estimated at $160 million a year.
About 45 per cent of Queensland’s cattle are within the regulated tick free zone, while the remainder are in the cattle tick infested zone between the coastal areas east of the Great Dividing Range and north of the Great Northern Rail line.
The location of the tick line has been a contentious issue for years, with producers often having different views in different parts of the state, and even within the same areas.
Two years ago, the Queensland Government introduced a new cattle tick management framework, which the then Agriculture Minister claimed would simplify and strengthen the tick line.
AgForce supported more flexibility, but warned at the time the changes needed to be backed up with a strong surveillance program and adequate resources to support producers through the transition. Unfortunately, this hasn’t happened.
There have been recent cattle deaths and outbreaks in previously clean areas, with producers left exposed through lax surveillance and compliance activities.
It is not the fault of the accredited certifiers nor it is an issue of flexibility in dipping and treating cattle on property.
The issue is the lack of government resources on the ground making sure the system is working, supporting accredited certifiers, ensuring producers understand the risks and providing consistent advice.
Producers are left wondering who to call in an emergency with reports of slow response times, and a lack of support from government officers who are stretched thin on the ground following short-sighted decisions of successive state governments.
Put simply, the promise of flexibility has not been backed up with the necessary resources, surveillance and data to enable the safe movement of cattle tick carriers over the line and as a result, Queensland producers are at greater risk of cattle ticks.
We believe the State Government needs a dedicated case manager available to ensure any outbreak is cleaned up and all concerned, including producers and accredited certifiers, have the support they need.
AgForce is also calling on the State Government to take the time to get out and listen to producers along the line to hear for themselves the confusion, anguish and disappointment with tick management.
The Queensland Government needs to demonstrate how the new regulations have delivered all the positive benefits they spruiked two years ago, and explain what surveillance they have done to show where the issues are and what they are doing to address them.
Because on the ground it looks like very little is being done.