Disease threatens besieged industry

Pastoralists are on high alert as bulls on several Kimberley stations are tested for a disease that threatens to cripple the industry.

It is the latest in a serious of hammer-blows to the regional cattle industry, which is still recovering from a temporary ban on live exports to Indonesia.

Indonesia then introduced weight restrictions on heifers and steers meaning pastoralists were left without a market to off-load heavier cattle.

Government veterinarians are working with several Kimberley cattle properties as they muster to test bulls as part of a program to ensure WA remains free from bovine Johne’s disease.

The Department of Agriculture and Food has traced 476 bulls which have come into WA since 2000 from a Queensland property where BJD has been detected.

The traced bulls went to six properties in the Kimberley region.

Department chief veterinary officer Peter Morcombe said WA remained a BJD Free Zone and work was underway to ensure the State continued to meet nationally agreed standards.

“Individual management plans are being developed for each property and cattle have been mustered on three properties,” he said.

“Movement restrictions have been applied to the properties while sampling and testing is underway and the department is carrying out this work as quickly as possible.”

Yeeda Pastoral Company owner Jack Burton said fortunately he hadn’t purchased any bulls from the affected stud but he knew of several properties that had.

Mr Burton said the prospect of the BJD being in Western Australia could have dire consequences for the State’s wider cattle industry.

“For the properties that are affected, even if there are no positive tests, it’s just as bad,” he said.

“The industry is on its knees anyway and the last thing it needs is another kick in the teeth.

“Anyone buying cattle, whether it’s Indonesia, abattoirs or whoever, will obviously use this as a bargaining tool to push the prices down further on already distressed producers.”

Mr Burton said he believed the right process had been undertaken by the DAFWA and he was hopeful all the properties in question could be cleared.

Department veterinarians and stock inspectors have been deployed to the properties to collect samples for laboratory testing.

This herd testing involves faecal sampling from groups of cows likely to have been in contact with the traced bulls.

The traced bulls are being located, culled and tested.

“We are using a new, highly accurate and nationally approved DNA test at our Animal Health Laboratories which has reduced the expected timeframe for results from months to between two and four weeks,” Dr Morcombe said.

He said given tracings dated back to 2000, some of the imported bulls would have already been slaughtered or died naturally.

Dr Morcombe said the pastoralists involved had been working closely and co-operatively with department officers.

The department has also been liaising regularly with key industry groups and authorities in Queensland and the Northern Territory.