Canberra blamed for outbreak of parasites

Norfolk Island residents say the federal government has failed to stop an invasion of paralysis ticks in their community.

Island veterinarian Candice Snell said she had treated dogs and cats with paralysis ticks, despite not encountering the problem previously. Picture: Brendan Radke

Norfolk Island residents claim the federal government has failed to prevent an invasion of paralysis ticks and other parasites infecting household pets and some horses in their community.

Another biosecurity risk, they allege, is an infestation of banana weevils from the Australian mainland not present before local quarantine rules ended.

Complaints from the remote Norfolk community off Australia’s east coast, which includes descendants of the HMAS Bounty mutiny, are the latest sign of local upheaval since Canberra took control and ended its self-­government three years ago.

Island veterinarian Candice Snell claimed inadequate quarantining, inspections, animal washing and disinfecting of animal transport vehicles introduced since Canberra’s takeover three years ago had led to a “dangerous situation” that threatened the ­island’s biosecurity.

Dr Snell told The Australian she had treated dogs and cats with paralysis ticks, despite not encountering the problem previously, and was concerned ticks had spread uncontrolled to the island’s large numbers of feral cats.

She said horses transported to the island since the Canberra takeover had not received preventive treatment for stomach parasites common on the mainland but historically not seen on Norfolk Island.

Dr Snell has complained to the Department of Agriculture, challenging the existing minimum quarantine period for horses to confirm disease-free status.

She has also questioned an ­alleged lack of formal identification for horses and vaccin­ations or other preventive measures against parasites including bot flies and ticks, and the diseases tetanus, strangles, melioidosis and equine herpes.

The Norfolk Island vet received a reply saying the department was committed to protecting the “unique plant and animal health status of the island” and had applied import conditions to reduce the risk of disease to “an acceptable level”.

A department official told Dr Snell import conditions were informed by scientific information and met international obli­gations. The movement of horses from one Australian state or territory to another such as Norfolk Island also did not require “pre-export quarantine or testing” by an accredited laboratory.

Dr Snell said the potential spread of paralysis ticks and bot flies had become an issue when a permit to import a horse to Norfolk Island was issued, allegedly without the need for internal or external parasite treatment.

She said the removal of “old permit requirements” had ended certainty about the process and led to mainland paralytic ticks infecting dogs and cats.

An Agriculture Department spokesman said no bot flies were found on the island in an animal and plant status survey over two years in 2012-14.

He said there was previous evidence of them being present on the island and insufficient evidence of the need for an eradication campaign.

The spokesman said the presence of paralysis ticks had not been confirmed. The department, however, considered using internal and external parasite control to be “good animal husbandry”.

He said inspections for internal and external parasites were included on health certificates for horses, dogs and cats imported into Norfolk Island.

The spokesman confirmed ban­ana weevil had been detected on Norfolk Island but said it was likely to have been present “for some considerable time”.

“It is slow to spread and hard to detect. Fresh bananas and banana cuttings are illegal to import to Norfolk Island,” he said.