VETS have pushed back against calls by Queensland beef producers to allow lay people to be accredited and paid for both the pregnancy testing and ovarian scanning of cattle.
While producers are allowed to assess livestock if there is no payment, under the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1936 only registered vets can charge fees.
Australian Cattle Veterinarians president Alan Guilfoyle said payments to lay people would compromise animal welfare and accuracy, and result in a loss of vets from regional and remote Queensland.
“In times of drought and other adverse weather events, there will be fewer vets to discuss welfare options in these locations,” Dr Guilfoyle said.
“In northern Australia, pregnancy testing of cattle may be the only time a vet is on the farm and this is critical for surveillance and lowering the risks of serious exotic diseases such as foot and mouth disease.
Let me be very clear. This is not about taking away business from vets or reducing standards
- Bim Struss, AgForce Cattle
“We urge the government to retain pregnancy diagnosis as a vet-only procedure to ensure ongoing best outcomes for industry.”
However, AgForce Cattle president, Bim Struss, said lay pregnancy testing was already a key herd management tool that could help producers lift fertility rates and in turn the productivity and profitability of their enterprises.
"Let me be very clear,” Mr Struss said.
“This is not about taking away business from vets or reducing standards.
“It is about ensuring there is increased access to reliable and cost-effective pregnancy testing across Queensland.
"I urge cattle producers to get involved with this process so that we do not continue to be at a competitive disadvantage to our counterparts in NSW, the Northern Territory and Western Australia, where pregnancy testing by non-veterinarians is allowed and has been for years.”
Dr Guilfoyle said pregnancy diagnosis required both a manual rectal examination of the reproductive tract and ultrasound methods to determine the stage of pregnancy.
“It is an invasive procedure that can seriously harm animals if not performed correctly,” he said.
“Inaccurate diagnoses not only affect farm productivity, but also can cause catastrophic welfare issues if exported animals calve on board on live export vessels.”
Dr Guilfoyle said the ACV’s PREgCHECK scheme had proven to be more accurate and reliable than any other method of pregnancy testing.
“Under our scheme, only vets accredited to the PREgCHECK protocols are able to apply tags, so when you buy or sell a cow or heifer you know it’s been tested by a PREgCHECK vet,” he said.
“The scheme has also increased the level of integrity and confidence of the Australian live export trade.
“When a vet is on the farm performing pregnancy testing, farmers get extra benefits in addition to providing high-levels of accuracy and accountability.
“These include conversations about animal health and production, disease and biosecurity-related matters, and the early detection of disease.”
Dr Guilfoyle said also said if lay pregnancy testing was allowed, there would be a loss of vets from regional and remote Queensland.
Mr Struss said high fertility rates were crucial to the success of all beef breeding enterprises. However, it could often be difficult and expensive for producers to have their cattle professionally tested in the required timeframes, particularly in remote areas, he said.
Mr Struss said AgForce in conjunction with vets, producers were looking to develop a high level, sustainable system to accredit lay persons based on the principles established in the PREgCHECK program.
"We want to have this new professional accreditation scheme in place before the herd returns to normal levels by 2020-21 so producers can take full advantage and our industry can continue to grow strongly."
Agriculture Minister, Mark Furner, said the consultation process would help determine the benefit to industry if people other than vets could conduct pregnancy testing and ovarian scanning.
“It will also look at whether there are any animal welfare implications, and if there would be any impacts on private veterinary services,” he said.
