Livestock effluent: an ongoing problem with producers reminded to abide by food and water curfews for stock

There's also been a call that if livestock haulers are to meet their obligation under the Effluent Code of Practise that there needs to be purpose built drive-through effluent dump facilities along major road corridors.

Currently, the only way drivers can clean effluent tanks on their trucks is to use wash down facilities at saleyards and abattoirs which an industry leader says are few and far between and of those which do exist, many are poorly maintained.

A delegate at the recent Livestock and Rural Transporters Association of Queensland conference in Townsville was critical of producers for not abiding by strict stock transport curfews during a discussion on the Effluent Code of Practise.

Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association (ALRTA) vice president Athol Carter said there were not enough wash down facilities across Australia let alone Queensland.

"But, more importantly, the ones that are there, they aren't being maintained to a standard by their operators so they're continually broken down and it's user pays," he said.

"We pay to use these wash down facilities by the minute, in some cases quite exorbitant costs, yet we're continually going to use one and it's closed down or under repair."

Mr Carter agreed local government who owned the wash down facilities was remiss in not maintaining them.

"It's not just isolated to the livestock transport industry (who need to use them). It's the entire agricultural industry - we have to think about weed and seed and pests like parthenium weed and things like that, and agricultural machinery and other vehicles which need to be washed down," he said.

"And, more importantly, if there was an emergency animal disease outbreak we need those facilities to be operational and fully functioning and maintained to a standard.

"We're all expected to maintain and fix our vehicles, but we get sub-standard wash down facilities."

Mr Carter said one of the areas lacking in wash down facilities was the Toowoomba region.

"Most major saleyard facilities have wash bays, but they could also be improved," he said.

Mr Carter suggested that twice as many wash down facilities were needed in Australia as there were now.

"It's a big issue. It's not necessarily with the Effluent Code of Practise about wash down facilities as such, it's about biosecurity obligations generally," he said.

"That's the missing link that we have and that's what we need to do close that loop is have effluent dump facilities, drive through facilities, where we can actually offload the effluent that we capture in our tanks - and there are none. There are zero facilities along the major livestock corridors to the major abattoirs in Queensland.

"So, the only place that we can empty and hose out is at some of these wash down facilities - we need on road effluent dump facilities as the tanks can fill up pretty quick."

ALRTA project and communications officer Sue Davies said primary producers were part of the chain of responsibility under the heavy vehicle national law to be mindful of animal effluent.

"The transporter's experience is that if livestock is prepared by having feed and/or water curfews then they produce less effluent and that makes it much more manageable for the transporters," she said.

"And it helps them avoid...having to stop and dispose of effluent when their tanks become full."

Ms Davies recommended producers familiarise themselves with the Effluent Code which included a guide to a feed curfew and what factors to consider.

"It's different for different species, it's different for different journeys," she said.

In 2018, a spokesperson for Transport and Main Roads said effective management of animal effluent during transport was a complex matter and that there was certainly a need for more dump sites.

"However, industry is responsible for developing and managing dump facilities to manage effluent storage on livestock vehicles."

The current regulatory framework allows transport inspectors to undertake enforcement action if excessive waste is spilling from vehicles. Under the Heavy Vehicle National Law Act 2012, the loss of effluent is a load restraint breach and may incur a fine of $540.