As the tick line debate nears boiling point, one Taroom beef producer is calling upon the Palaszczuk Government to see sense.
Ivan Hay, Canadian Vale, Taroom, owns Tualka in the control zone and said the only positive shift was moving the tick line north, taking pressure off landholders who had held the line for 20 years.
“The Palaszczuk Government and AgForce need to man up and listen to producers, not bureaucrats in Brisbane,” he said.
“Biosecurity Queensland’s suggestion that landholders support option three in every area is misleading and so far wrong.
“In true state government style, they’re not seeing the big picture- the tick line shouldn’t even be where it is, it should be moving over the hill on a regular basis.”
Mr Hay said the logistics of allowing the line to move south were unfathomable.
“They are breaking down the walls in the castle that have held ticks back for 20 years and it won’t stop where they think it will, all to save a few dollars,” he said.
“If this tick line falls, well you’d hate to think. The cost will be millions.”
Mr Hay said producers simply needed support to move the tick line north.
“I don’t blame those on the line for getting cranky when the bloke across the fence isn’t doing anything- they are doing it to save everyone else,” he said.
“There are areas where producers are talking about cleaning up off their own bat, all they need is help.”
Mr Hay said Biosecurity Queensland’s statements on the difficulties of moving the line north were “rubbish.”
“20 years ago there weren’t 10 helicopters in the area to help muster- they only have to muster and Acatak twice a year as usual, it’s not a different species,” he said.
Mr Hay said he feared producers were “beating their heads against a rock” where a premeditated agenda on behalf of the Palaszczuk Government and AgForce reigned supreme.
“They told us they’d listen to us during the council amalgamations but we got no say, it was already done and I feel this is the same,” he said.
Nonetheless, Mr Hay said previous changes within the industry proved the state government could instigate a northward movement of the tick line.
“The government and AgForce got into bed when forcing the NLIS upon us without widespread industry support- here’s an opportunity for both to pick up a bat and ball and be seen to be active in the industry,” he said.
“At some stage Japan or America are going to say they don’t want any beef that’s had chemical on it, what happens then?
“Some pretty smart people got us to where we are with the tick line, let’s see the government and AgForce be proactive for the beef industry just once.”