{"id":133860,"date":"2016-02-05T01:31:54","date_gmt":"2016-02-04T15:31:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=133860"},"modified":"2020-10-23T12:46:53","modified_gmt":"2020-10-23T02:46:53","slug":"cattle-producers-back-current-tick-line","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2016\/02\/05\/cattle-producers-back-current-tick-line\/","title":{"rendered":"Cattle Producers Back Current Tick Line"},"content":{"rendered":"
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AgForce vice-president Georgie Somerset chatted with Clint Whitaker from Biosecurity Queensland and South Burnett councillor Kathy Duff after the meeting<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

February 5, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cattle producers who met at Proston Community Hall on Thursday night have voted to keep the tick line between Mondure and Brigooda in its current position.<\/p>\n

This means that, if accepted by the State Government, the old “control zone” between ticky and tick-free country in this part of the South Burnett would be declared clean.<\/p>\n

The meeting, which attracted about 70 people, was one of number which have been organised around the South Burnett by AgForce.<\/p>\n

The audience was presented with a number of choices about where the tick line could go.<\/p>\n

Two options, prepared by a committee elected at a similar meeting last week, looked at slightly modifying the existing boundary to produce a “sustainable” tick line demarcated by major sealed roads.<\/p>\n

But the option the majority of the meeting voted for – by a margin of 49 to 10 – was to add the current Control Zone to the Clean Zone.<\/p>\n

This is the State Government’s “Option 2” put forward in December last year.<\/p>\n

During the meeting, several speakers spoke passionately about the need to take the battle against ticks forward, not backward.<\/strong><\/p>\n

They said any option which proposed a southerly movement of the line was defeatist and unacceptable.<\/p>\n

The tick line’s current boundaries were set 20 years ago.<\/p>\n

Since that time, local producers had worked hard and invested large sums of money to gain – and maintain – their “clean” status.<\/p>\n

Several speakers said they thought it was vitally important for the future of the State’s beef industry that producers continue their efforts to expand the tick-free zone.<\/p>\n

They also questioned why successive State Governments were unwilling to make any investment to do this themselves, given the economic advantages tick-free cattle production generated.<\/p>\n

Questions also came from the floor about the consultation process the State Government was undertaking to divide the State into “clean” and “infected” zones.<\/p>\n

Clint Whitaker, from Biosecurity Queensland, answered questions about how clean properties would be monitored, and also discussed a proposal in NSW that would leave tick control up to individual producers but prohibit any transport or sale of tick-infected cattle until they had been cleaned.<\/p>\n

AgForce Queensland vice-president Georgie Somerset said the meeting was essentially voting for an outcome the majority of the local community preferred.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Adjoining communities along the tick line, at Durong and Mondure, would also be voting on what their communities wanted.<\/p>\n

These local area resolutions, plus submissions from individual producers, would then form part of the State Government’s total community consultation process in arriving at a final solution.<\/p>\n

All submissions have to be sent to the State Government by the end of this month.<\/p>\n

Related articles:<\/strong><\/p>\n