Toowoomba’s Wagner family plans new animal quarantine facility in boost to Olympic Games event chances

Just a year after completing its controversial Covid-19 facility, the powerful Wagner family have revealed plans to build a different kind of quarantine centre aimed at a major industry.

One of Toowoomba’s wealthiest families has revealed plans to build an animal quarantine facility, in a move that might boost the city’s chances of hosting more Olympic events in 2032.

Wagner Corporation, owned by the powerful Wagner family, announced it had started laying the groundwork to create a specialised and government-approved quarantine centre at Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport.

The centre, which would primarily cater to the thoroughbred industry across Queensland, would be just the fourth of its kind in Australia and the first in the state.

John Wagner. Picture: Nev Madsen.

Company chairman John Wagner said he and his team were currently completing its due diligence around the requirements.

“We’re going through it, we’re trying to find the right site at Wellcamp that would suit,” he said.

“We’ll build it and get someone to operate.

“It’s well and truly needed and we’d like to get it under way — we are very committed.”

Creating an accredited quarantine facility won’t be easy, with the federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry revealing Wagner Corporation would need to reach an “approved arrangement” before it can house horses.

A departmental spokeswoman told News Corp there was an “extensive” list of criteria that needed to be met relating to biosecurity measures for the company to achieve this agreement.

“Of particular note are site location requirements including location within the metropolitan area of a declared port that has a permanently based biosecurity officer, location in an area that has been free from equine infectious anaemia during the previous 12 months and location in an area considered by the department to not have a high density of horses,” she said in a statement.

The post-entry quarantine facility in Mickleham, Victoria.

“There are many other considerations including the location of the site relative to recognised regions affected by ticks, 100 metre distance (exclusion zone) from any horses considered to have attained an Australian health status and Hendra virus management measures.”

The spokeswoman said the ticks of major concern were from the family Ixodidae, which may carry and transmit Babesia caballi and Theileria equi - protozoa capable of causing the exotic disease equine piroplasmosis. 

"Approximately 22 ixodid ticks are identified as potential vectors for piroplasmosis," she said.

"Ticks are also capable of transmitting other diseases of biosecurity concern including Lyme disease and African Horse Sickness.  

"There are three tick species present in Australia known to be capable of transmitting equine piroplasmosis if it were to enter Australia."

But Mr Wagner said he was confident the project was viable, pointing to the future opportunities outside of the initial demand for importing racehorses.

“It requires accreditation from a number of government agencies (but) any of this infrastructure we can put in place is a good thing for our region,” he said.

“It won’t be a hindrance, it will only have positive consequences.”

A parcel of Commonwealth-owned land at the end of Polaris Rd Mickleham, adjacent to a Dept. of Agriculture Bio Quarantine complex. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

Mayor Paul Antonio said the development of a non-government-funded animal quarantine facility would improve the council’s ambition to see the Toowoomba Showgrounds transformed into an equestrian centre of excellence that could host Olympic-level events.

The project has been floated to state and federal ministers by both Mr Antonio and the Royal Agricultural Society of Queensland (RASQ), but has yet to secure any firm commitments.

“We’ve already had a couple of meetings and they understand very clearly the possibilities we have for the Olympics,” the mayor said last week.

“I’ve been very careful because I’ve got to make sure I can absolutely commit (but) I have a very strong feeling that the Wellcamp Airport will have an animal quarantine facility

“The Premier is supportive, her director-general (of state development) Mike Kaiser is supportive of it.

“I’ve spoken to the Wagner family and they can get things done.”

Royal Agricultural Society of Queensland CEO Damon Phillips. INSET: How new showgrounds could look.

It comes as the government lease expires on the Wagners’ other Wellcamp quarantine facility, which was used by overseas travellers during the pandemic.

The $200m project still does not have a permanent future use, with Mr Wagner saying it was assessing the options.

“We’re dealing with a number of parties to put short-term agricultural workers, until we find a highest and best use,” he said.

“We may look at other industries after that — it could be education and training, could be anything, but it’s early days.”