MP in bid to stop cattle cull

HILL MP Shane Knuth wants shoot-to-kill operations in Cape York to end immediately.

He claims land owners in Cape York, particularly those adjacent to National Park land, are suffering a huge loss of income due to government-ordered culling operations.

“Cattle are continually shot before landowners are given permission to enter parks and muster their cattle, which is a huge economic loss to the region,” Mr Knuth said.

“The (Department of Environment) needs to communicate with landowners, who are rarely notified ... sometimes waiting up to 50 days before they can obtain a permit to collect their branded cattle from national parks.” Mr Knuth said more than 5000 cattle, with a collective value of $6m, had been shot over the past three years.

Grazier Sally Witherspoon said most of the landowners on Cape York had been affected, and that the culling was cruel. “It is distressing to think our cattle are being cruelly hunted and maybe left to die a slow death,” Mrs Witherspoon said.

The Department of Environment and Science has been contacted for comment.