Another cattle tick outbreak has been found on a property near Taroom, inside Queensland's cattle tick-free zone, and producers are again asking for tougher biosecurity rules and more government involvement when outbreaks occur, Lydia Burton reported for Beef Central.
The outbreak came to light when several cattle died and a veterinarian found ticks on the herd; mustering turned up fully engorged ticks and discoloured urine in some sick animals. The property borders an earlier outbreak. Its cattle had been inspected, found clean and treated as a precaution last year, and it is not known whether the ticks came from next door or from cattle brought in.
The landholder said he had lost faith in the system and wants the government to bring back mandatory restrictions on "first removed" properties, the neighbours of an infested property, which applied before tick management changed in 2016, and to have Department of Primary Industries tick specialists clear cattle in an outbreak. Doug Stuart, a former government stock inspector who runs the Taroom clearing dip, explained that under the old rules neighbours had to present their cattle for inspection and clear them through a dip before moving them.
In July the Queensland Government adopted recommendations from a cattle tick review, including three new biosecurity inspectors in higher-risk areas and changes to the accredited certifier model, after tick-infested cattle certified clean kept arriving at saleyards in the tick-free zone. The DPI said there are now 255 restricted properties for cattle tick in the zone, up from 229 in March.
Biosecurity Queensland said the Taroom property is under restrictions and that officers will inspect herds and trace livestock movements. Several local producers now send every animal they buy through the dip before it reaches their land.
With rain and warmer weather, a veterinarian warned producers not to become complacent: ticks are most active in spring and summer, and sudden deaths can point to tick fever. Anyone who suspects ticks should keep a sample and call a local biosecurity officer.
Photo: CSIRO / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)
Source: Beef Central
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