The QLD State Government has decided to close the Biosecurity Queensland, Tropical & Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory.
This has obvious effects on the 16 of us (& our families) left unemployed.
This decision also has serious & significant ramifications on the detection of & reporting of both Aquatic and Terrestrial Animal Diseases for north Qld, since this will result in far reduced disease surveillance north Qld at both a State AND National level.
This decision will have most affect on passive disease surveillance of aquatic animal diseases & the National Arbovirus Monitoring Project (NAMP) and the detection of exotic terrestrial animal diseases such as Murray Valley encephalitis, Foot & Mouth Disease etc..
All aquaculture farmers (fish, prawns & crayfish farmers) must now send samples for disease testing to Biosciences Laboratory at Coopers Plains, Brisbane.
No suitably qualified field Veterinarian will be available to detect, treat, control & eradicate of diseases on prawn & barramundi & crayfish farms in northern Qld.
Having spent the last 15 years of my career dedicated to aquatic animal health and providing a service to the aquaculture farmers of north Qld, this pains me greatly.
Urgent action is required before State Parliament re-sits next week, for this decision can be reversed with support from State & Federal organisations, Veterinarians and Industry support.
The decision was a cost-saving strategy by the current Govt, with no fore-thought on the far-reaching ramifications for our aquaculture industries, wild fisheries, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park & beef cattle & horse industries of north Qld.
I implore your ability to write a letter of support for the continued existence of TAAHL to the Honourable John Mc Veigh, Minsiter for Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry,
in the best interests of our terrestrial & aquatic animal industries of north Qld , & the State of QLD, not to mention in the interests of National Biosecurity. Please add more, as I have no doubt left some things out in the current situation.
FACTS: The reality – aquaculture farms will simply not bother to submit samples for disease testing, due to increased freight costs & feasibility of getting live fish and live prawns samples to BSL in Brisbane for testing. They are already dealing with the carbon tax.
Air-freight of an esky of live fish starts from around $200. Furthermore bus freight will take over 16 hours, a 1600km roadtrip from townsville, an 1800 km roadtrip from Cairns, over 2400km from Weipa – the result being degraded samples not viable for many tests to rule out infectious disease.
TAAHL also runs several tests on aquatic animals that are not currently available at BSL in Brisbane.
TAAHL has provided services to numerous clients, whom with solid linkages have developed over the last 15 years & from whichdisease detection, treatment, control, eradication & surveillance has been drawn from;
· Hobbyist fish breeders ( variety of ornamental fish, most imported)
· Reef HQ Aquarium (marine fish, shark & ray species)
Cairns marine Aquarium (sharks, rays, fish )
· Seaworld (sharks, rays, fish)
· James Cook University (student projects on fish, prawns)
· Australian Instititute of Marine Science (research projects on prawns, fish)
· GBRMPA & DERM (necropsy of sick dolphins, dugongs, sharks, wild fish kills)
· wild fisheries – eg. Qld Grouper mortalities (Streptococcus agalactiae detected at TAAHL)
· Private Veterinarians (sick fish)
The general public & recreational fishers
North Qld & central Qld has the largest % of fish and prawn farms in the State.
The diseases which could have significant impact on Aquaculture industry in the north (& south) include:
o White spot disease – an (exotic) disease of prawns – potential to cause significant damage/widespread mortalities on prawn farms State-wide.
o Grouper disease– Streptococcus agalactiae – over 93 dead adult Qld grouper (a protected wild species) S. agalactaiehas the potential to cause widespread mortalities on fish farms throughout the state (major epizootics occur on tilapia, bream & other species farmed in, Asia, Brazil, Israel, Honduras)
o Barramundi Nodavirus – etc..etc..
Many Notifiable diseases will go undetected & under-reported in north Qld
o Epizootic Ulcerative Syndrome
O Barramundi Nodavirus – to name but a few
The reduction in numbers of Veterinarians & staff capable of pulling together in an event of a major disease outbreakon a prawn farm such WSSV, or for an outbreak of Foot & Mouth Disease in cattle is obvious.
Whilst some operational staff have been left in place in the far north, there will be no Veterinary Laboratory facility or staff with specialist skills, where samples can be taken, or where those oing to AAHL at Geelong can be packed according to current transport regulations (dangerous goods packaging) for infectious diseases such as Hendra, Lyssavirus etc…
Urgent action is required before State Parliament re-sits next week, for this decision can be reversed with support from State & Federal organisations, Veterinarians and Industry.
The decision was a cost-saving strategy by the current Govt, with no fore-thought on the far-reaching ramifications for our aquaculture industries, wild fisheries, the Great Barrier Reef Marine park & beef cattle & horse industries of north Qld.
I implore your ability to write a letter of support for the continued existence of TAAHL to the Honourable John Mc Veigh, Minsiter for Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry, in the best interests of our terrestrial & aquatic animal industries of north Qld , & State of QLD, not to emntion in the ninterests of National Biosecurity. Please add more, as I have no doubt left some things out in the current situation.
BVSc, MACVSc (Aquatic Animal Health) BSc(hons)
Senior Veterinary Officer (Fish Disease)
Tropical and Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory
Biosecurity Queensland (North)
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry (DAFF)
180-303 River Boulevard, Oonoonba Qld 4811
PO Box 1085, Townsville, Qld 4810
