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This article was published in 1980
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Problems With Brucellosis Eradication in Warialda Area
M. Emms, B.V.Sc. Veterinary Inspector, Warialda
Prior to the commencement of the Brucellosis Eradication Scheme in the Warialda P.P. Board area in December, 1977, myself and an assistant male conducted, over a 3 year period, a Brucellosis Control Scheme which involved bleeding approximately ⅓ of the cattle in the area (approx. 30,000 head). This meant that when the official scheme started in December 1977, we had some idea of what would be involved from a Disease and Administration point of view - or so we thought, as this was later proven wrong in our Northern Area.
The official test and slaughter programme for Brucellosis Eradication commenced in December, 1977, with the appointment of 10 Field Assistants and 1 Assistant under the control of the then D.V.O. Narrabri. In September 1978 we were then moved to the control of the D.V.0. Armidale. In March 1979 we had completed our Initial Testing of Round 1.
Position of Veterinary Inspector in Brucellosis Eradication Programme?
When the programme commenced in the Warialda Area, the then Director of T.B. and Brucellosis, F. Evans, and D.V.O. Narrabri gave me instructions that I was to set up the programme in Warialda and I was to run it at a local level and be directly responsible to the D.V.O. Narrabri.
This situation existed until I went on leave in April/May 1979. Upon returning from leave I found a V.O. Brucellosis (Inverell) was looking after the Disease side of the programme and the staff and administrative side of the programme was directly under the control of the D.V.O. Armidale's lay-staff.
So since May, 1979, I have had nothing at all to do with the programme and have not been able to get anywhere with the D.V.O. Armidale in this regard until the 4th March, 1980, when I received a visit from him at which time he explained to me that Veterinary Inspectors had no particular place in the Eradication programme.
Further, that what an inspector did in the programme depended on how much he wanted to become involved and to what extent if any the D.V.O. wanted him involved.
Since that time I have been looking after Cattle Compensation and Saleyards work.
What is the position of a Veterinary Inspector in such a programme as this or any future disease control programme? I feel that there should be some policy on this and we should know what it is.
As I have not been directly involved with the programme for some time, some of my other comments are made purely as an observer looking on.
Decentralised Laboratory for Rose Bengal Testing
One of the first problems we had to solve was how to get our blood samples tested before they went off in the hot weather, particularly in the summer.
We have an extremely poor rail and postal service which meant samples took up to 5 or 6 days to reach the Regional Veterinary Laboratory at Armidale which in the summer months resulted in samples being completely haemolysed and rotten by the time they reached the Laboratory
This problem we overcame by setting up a laboratory at Warialda to carry out Rose Bengal Testing at this end. The R.V.L. trained a local woman to carry out the Rose Bengal Test on all samples collected. Then the sera was drawn off those samples which gave a positive reaction to the Rose Bengal Test and forwarded to the R.V.L. Armidale where they were submitted to the Complement Fixation Test.
This setting up of a laboratory to do screening tests at a local level had numerous advantages.
1. Owners could obtain results of the Rose Bengal Test the same day which solved management problems in many cases.
2. No problems occur with hot weather or prolonged transport to the Regional Veterinary Laboratory causing samples to go off.
3. The cost saving on freight of large numbers of samples going to Armidale would certainly have balanced out the wages paid to the girl who was operating the laboratory.
Excessive waste of Funds
In understood (sic) with the commencement of the programme we were to eradicate Brucellosis by the most rational and economic means.
A strict watch was kept on the economics, until such time as we came under the control of the D.V.O. Armidale at which time we came under the clerk at Armidale who led everybody to believe that there was no shortage of money and to spend up.
At Warialda we have an office, laboratory and work room which provide adequate space for day to day procedures and we have a bulk store in another building 2 blocks away.
The Clerk at Armidale in his wisdom decided we needed a Portable Unit, as well, so then he arranged for us to get one from Kyogle at great expense. This unit was installed in December, 1979 on another block of land with the electricity connected and the telephone in the process of being connected and as yet this unit has not been used and is not likely to be, with the scaling down of staff in the next month. When I objected to this unit I was told he had the money to spend and that was that as he had the D.V.O.'s O.K. I do not know what the whole exercise has cost but it would certainly be an expensive one and has run into thousands of dollars and it must be remembered that the public take particular note of such wastage.
No doubt from time to time everybody has experienced trouble in getting sufficient motor vehicles. In the latter stages of 1979 we found ourselves with four spare motor cars which were just parked away in an assistant's yard and had been so for several months.
This matter was then brought to the clerk at Armidale's attention and he said, 'Oh, that's where they are, I didn't know what had happened to them'. Surely things as this are a great waste of money.
These are two examples of excessive expenditure which I imagine cost the programme several thousand dollars quite unnecessarily and certainly more could be cited. This is not good for Public Relations particularly when you have to face an owner with a Cattle Compensation Claim where you cannot give him the full value of a beast.
Traceback System and Survey
One of the first problems we found was that we had no traceback system for the Northern third of the Board which meant we had no idea of the incidence of Brucellosis in the area. The reason for this is that most of the cattle from this area are sold in the McIntyre Sale yards at Boggabilla on the Queensland border and hence the cattle go to Queensland for slaughter.
After we had done most of the Initial Round 1 testing in this area we found we had about 90% of herds infected yet the traceback system from the abattoirs and the survey done in conjunction with the T.B. testing in the early seventies had led us to believe we had little or no Brucellosis in the area.
Lack of Supplies
Obtaining supplies of things like plastic buckets, soap and boots has been a continuous problem. We are always told that there are plenty of these things available but when you put in a requisition they are never forthcoming.
This lack of supplies affects the attitude of the Field Staff and they certainly only give a standard of work which is in keeping with the way they are treated by the department.
Border Crossings
We have a set of Saleyards, the McIntyre Saleyards, at Boggabilla on the N.S.W.- Queensland Border. These yards sell from 1 to 6 thousand head of cattle per week with at least 50% or more of the yarding coming from Queensland. It is this part of the system that falls down. Breeding cattle are allowed to cross the Border for sale for slaughter at the regular Fat Stock Sales on Tuesday providing they come from a tested negative property and they do not require a 30 day introductory test.
Once these cattle enter the state of N.S.W., we have no control over them to see they are sent for slaughter. In many cases in the past they have been bought by dealers and resold at the Store Sales in Moree and Inverell and from there moved anywhere.
The result of this is that the cattle do not comply with the conditions of entry of Breeding cattle into N.S.W. from Queensland. This is not so bad but what has been brought to our attention by the Border Crossing Inspectors is the fact that some owners with 2 or more properties in Queensland of which one or more is infected use the tail tags for their clean property on their cattle from their infected properties and hence cross their cattle to the McIntyre Saleyards and from there anywhere in the state. As a result Border Restrictions are of little value in these cases and we are allowing in possible sources of Brucella Infection. Should there not be some control on the movement of these cattle from the saleyards to ensure that they go for slaughter?
With this sort of situation existing the question could be asked, 'Should we have any border crossing restrictions at all?