{"id":37280,"date":"2013-06-27T23:22:32","date_gmt":"2013-06-27T13:22:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=37280"},"modified":"2020-09-15T12:12:10","modified_gmt":"2020-09-15T02:12:10","slug":"beef-forum-backs-bjd-campaign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2013\/06\/27\/beef-forum-backs-bjd-campaign\/","title":{"rendered":"Beef Forum Backs BJD Campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Queensland Agriculture Minister John McVeigh<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

June 27, 2013\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

A high-level beef industry forum has strongly backed Queensland\u2019s stance to maintain its \u2018Protected Zone\u2019 status for Bovine Johne\u2019s Disease (BJD).<\/p>\n

The third Northern Australia Beef Industry Roundtable held in Darwin yesterday backed a motion of support that Queensland continue its campaign to eradicate the BJD outbreak which started in a stud herd near Rockhampton late last year.<\/p>\n

The Roundtable, which included industry leaders and Agriculture Ministers from Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia, discussed a range of issues; drought, market access to Indonesia and BJD were top of the agenda.<\/p>\n

Queensland Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Minister John McVeigh said his counterparts \u2013 Northern Territory Minister Willem Westra Van Holthe and Western Australia Minister Ken Baston – along with beef industry representatives, strongly endorsed Queensland\u2019s eradication campaign.<\/p>\n

\u201cIndustry leaders across northern Australia know the importance of keeping their herds BJD-free,\u201d Mr McVeigh said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn fact the Roundtable discussed the merits of a BJD-free zone stretching right across the top end of Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe northern industry has suffered a real caning in recent times from the near wipe-out of the Indonesian live trade as a result of the knee-jerk suspension by the Federal Government, coupled with the failure of the wet season.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn the trade front, we need to do all we can to rebuild live exports and rebuild our relations with Indonesia, while on the home front, northern producers are adamant that industry and governments do all they can to keep their herds free from BJD.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr McVeigh said despite some hiccups, the eradication campaign remained on track with Biosecurity Queensland working closely with the 53 properties still under BJD quarantine.<\/p>\n

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