NQ farmers warn of livestock disease ‘time bomb’

Anxious graziers warn North Queensland’s cattle industry is at risk of “total devastation” amid the growing threat of a highly contagious livestock disease. See why.

ANXIOUS graziers warn North Queensland’s cattle industry is at risk of “total devastation” amid the growing threat of a highly contagious livestock disease at the region’s doorstep.

An outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Bali, Indonesia, has set off alarm bells in Australia, prompting a range of new biosecurity measures, but some NQ farmers are arguing they don’t go far enough.

Woodstock grazier Jeff Reid said it would only take one Bali tourist’s infected pair of shoes to unleash foot and mouth disease on our shores and devastate Australia’s $80 billion livestock industry.

It comes after North Queensland Senator Susan McDonald recently called on the government to consider suspending flights from Bali or quarantining passengers.

Mr Reid warned if the disease takes hold, it could spread quickly across North Queensland, largely due to the region’s thriving wild pig population.

“It’s a trainwreck coming our way,” Mr Reid said.

Woodstock grazier Jeff Reid says exports to Indonesia already virtually been cut in half since foot and mouth hit.

“We’re talking about total devastation for local industry.

“Our exports will take a massive hit without our clean, green image going for us.

“We already feel the impacts of this deadly disease, our exports to Indonesia have already virtually been cut in half.”

Hughenden grazier Hugh Westcott said due to the outbreak, NQ’s cattle industry was already feeling the pinch.

“We had a plan to buy cattle this week, but we’re not going to anymore. We’re holding tight because we can’t take the risk,” he said.

Agriculture Minister Murray Watt said Australia was taking “strong action” to protect livestock from foot-and-mouth.

“We haven’t seen a boat in a while, and the markets are already going back a bit.

“The rate of beef is going to take a significant haircut this week.

“If it gets into NQ, it will be game over for a while.

“We’re talking about hundreds of thousands of livestock that could have to be euthanized.

“It will devastate not only the local beef industry by the sheep and pig too.”

Agriculture Minister Murray Watt said Australia was taking “strong action” to protect livestock from foot-and-mouth.

Kennedy MP Bob Katter has called on the government to consider mandatory bag searches for all returning passengers and foot baths upon arrival.

“These people are returning from a place that has a very serious disease,” he said.

“Anyone that visits Bali must also dip their shoes when they get off the aeroplane into an antiseptic footbath, and an idea was posed was that a two-week farm ban also be imposed on passengers returning.”

A Department of Agriculture spokesman said the government was exploring “all practical measures” that can be taken at the border to reduce the risk of foot and mouth disease entering the country and “will implement evidence-based measures on a case-by-case basis.”

The new measures include biosecurity officers boarding planes on arrival and playing a new biosecurity message on all inbound flights from Indonesia.

Member for Kennedy Bob Katter has called on the government to consider mandatory bag searches for all returning passengers and foot baths upon arrival.

Originally published as NQ farmers warn of livestock disease ‘time bomb’