July 15, 2025
The vexed issue of maintaining biosecurity on the western side of the tick line was one of the issues raised during discussions at the LNP Primary Industries Policy Forum held in Kingaroy Town Hall on Saturday.
The tick line passes through the South Burnett, separating “ticky” country from “clean” country, however tick incursions across the line do occur which can threaten market access and add unexpected costs to producers.
Cattle producers at the forum pressed guest speaker, Agriculture Minister Tony Perrett, to further investigate DPI enforcement of biosecurity protocols.
Other topics covered during the event included:
- Weeds and feral animals spreading from National Parks
- Supporting agriculture education in schools
- The need for a strategy to expand forestry operations to meet the growing need for timber in Queensland
- The potential impact of USA tariffs on Australian agriculture
- Sustainability frameworks for beef and dairy
- The introduction of electronic ID tags for sheep and goats
- The burden of government regulation on farmers
About 90 people, both LNP members and members of the public, attended the session, which was opened by Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington and facilitated by LNP primary industries policy committee chair Damien Tessmann.
After morning tea, a Q&A-style discussion took place with panellists fielding questions from the floor.
The panellists were:
- Bryce Camm – CEO of Camm Agricultural Group and former chair of Beef Australia and the Australian Lot Feeders Association
- Dr Jodi Courtice – Veterinarian with a specialty in the egg industry and biosecurity matters
- Scott Kompo-Harms – Economist and deputy chief executive of the Australian Live Exporters Council
- Kathy Duff – South Burnett Regional Council Mayor and beef producer
- Ross McInnes – Director of Dairy Farmers Milk Co-operative, member of the Australian Dairy Industry Sustainability Framework and Scenic Rim dairy farmer
- Stephen Tully – Former AgForce Sheep & Wool president and Quilpie grazier
- Don Chandler – Senior partner LGT Crestone Wealth Management and councillor on the Royal National Agricultural & Industrial Association (RNA).
This is the second LNP Primary Industries Policy Forum to be held, and follows a successful event in Toowoomba in 2023.
The events aim to allow producers to have a say on the formation of LNP policies affecting primary industries.
