If relentless weather extremes and wavering cattle prices were not enough to push Queensland beef producers to the edge the emerging impact of Pimelea poisoning will surely test their tenacity.
About 150 producers met at Begonia on Thursday for a Pimelea information day hosted by Landmark and FutureBeef with such numbers testament to the increasingly serious nature of the issue.
Those in attendance heard from Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) and Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI) experts on symptoms of poisoning, effects, treatment options and future directions in regard to research.
Russell Mocker, Surprise, Begonia, said he had lost 150 head to poisoning from the traditionally winter weed as of the end of May.
“We had a healthy crop of Pimelea right through last spring and summer and that’s just unheard of,” he said.
“We had our wettest winter last year so I wasn’t surprised to see a lot of it but normally good summer rain washes the heads into the ground and that’s the rain we missed out on.
“We had a couple of cold mornings right before Christmas and it came up again like wildfire and we haven’t had the rain to wash the second lot away.”
Mr Mocker said he was trying every idea possible to protect his herd but was losing breeders, calves and bulls on a regular basis.
“I’ve got cattle shut up everywhere on hay and they’re on all sorts of protein supplements but nothing works,” he said.
The emotional and mental strain on producers was obvious and Mr Mocker said the negative perception about producers “flogging country” and inadvertently encouraging Pimelea was incorrect.
“I’ve got buffel paddocks that have been spelled for six months with feed three feet high and the Pimelea still gets in,” he said.
“That’s the part that hurts. I class myself as a pretty fair operator. We sell quality, sale topping weaners through Roma and we maintain good grass cover but it’s just out of your control.
“I get out of bed each day and don’t even want to go out to look at it.”
The financial costs of Pimelea poisoning are also extensive and far reaching.
Mr Mocker said his inability to get cattle to market also hurt agents and processors and a lack of income combined with the outlay of funds to attempt treatment of cattle meant property improvements fell behind and supporting local businesses was virtually impossible.
“Pimelea is classed as a native plant, not a noxious weed. It needs more research or it’ll keep being swept under the carpet,” he said.
“I’ve been breeding cattle all my life and I’ve never had such trouble with Pimelea. I can’t watch a lifetime of breeding die before my eyes but you’d go mad trying to save them.”
Geoff Freshwater, Overflow, Begonia, neighbours Mr Mocker and was unexplainably experiencing little negative effect from the presence of Pimelea.
Mr Freshwater said he had been at Begonia for 31 years after moving from Kingaroy to run more cattle and had serious problems with Pimelea in his early years in the area.
“We lost a large number of cattle early on and we seriously considered leaving the district,” Mr Freshwater said.
“Since then it hasn’t been so bad and I can’t put that down to anything- having a body of feed isn’t the be all and end all.
“This is the most Pimelea I’ve seen since those first years yet so far my cattle have been okay, but that doesn’t mean the worry goes away.”
Graham Marsh, Dromore, St George, said his ancestors settled the land around Begonia in 1866 and chose the area for its breeding capabilities.
“Pimelea only became a problem in the late 1960s and nobody knew what it was,” Mr Marsh said.
“It was commonly thought to be worms and the problem has only grown. 2006 was the worst year until now and the fact remains not everyone has spare paddocks for hospitals.”
DAF senior veterinary officer Louise Mullemeister clarified common misunderstandings about Pimelea and said poisoning was not a direct effect of the highly irritant chemical Simplexin entering the lungs.
“Research suggests that ingested and inhaled plant particles that get stuck in the nasal secretions are swallowed and end up in the stomach to be absorbed by the digestive system. The toxin enters the circulation and causes constriction of the blood vessels in the lungs,” she said.
“There have been poisonings recorded in Queensland, north west New South Wales, north east South Australia and the southern Northern Territory.”
While producers left assured they were not alone in their battle against Pimelea, many claimed state and federal governments were not doing enough to combat the issue.
University of Queensland senior research fellow and QAAFI representative, Dr Mary Fletcher, said regional beef research councils (RBRCs) were the first port of call for producers.
“I can understand there is frustration at not having the answers but this research isn’t cheap, especially when we need animal trials combined with chemical analysis,” Dr Fletcher said.
“Producers need to channel this energy towards what will make a difference and decide as a group what will give them the biggest bang for their buck.”
AgForce cattle president Bim Struss said given current momentum for the cause, producers were well positioned to spearhead a research fund and take advantage of the MLA donor fund for extra support.
“The donor fund provides financial support dollar for dollar so if money is raised and the right presentations such as your RBRCs talk to MLA I believe you will receive funding to take this forward,” Mr Struss said.
Maranoa Regional Council Mayor Tyson Golder also pledged his support for further research and said he would represent the group in a presentation to state and federal governments if desired.
“It all depends on how you sell the problem, and this is a big problem,” Cr Golder said.
“Governments take notice of dollar values. If we can harness widespread information on financial losses and come up with an average cost of Pimelea poisoning to the Australian beef industry- that’s information that can’t be ignored.”