Grey nomads and other travellers who are in Outback Western Australia looking for gold or wildflowers are being urged to consider the biosecurity risk they may pose to livestock properties.
The ABC reports that historically high gold prices, as well as wildflowers blooming in the state’s Mid West, are currently enticing a lot of people out into the bush.
While tourism is a vital part of regional economies, Yalgoo shire president and pastoralist, Greg Payne, said it was important people contacted pastoralists before entering their properties.
“If you’re coming onto a pastoral lease, you need to ring the pastoralist and see if they have biosecurity measures in place that they’d like you to follow,” he told the ABC. “And, if that’s the case, abide by those rules, work it out, and work with them.”
An outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Australia could prove disastrous. PIC: Cizza
Cr Payne said it was difficult to get the balance right between welcoming travellers wanting an experience in the bush and protecting the interests of pastoralists.
He told the ABC he regularly found people on his property without his knowledge or consent, often camping or prospecting for gold.
“Biosecurity is a huge concern, but there’s also a safety concern for us,” Cr Payne said. “We’ve got firearms out here that we need to use and things like that, and if we don’t know that someone’s camped out in the bush, accidents can happen.”
Pastoralists and Graziers Association president Tony Seabrook said the size and isolation of pastoral land made it easy for people to assume it was unoccupied.
“Sometimes you’ll never see the homestead, the sheds, it’s very easy to assume that this isn’t owned land,” he told the ABC. “But it doesn’t deny the fact that people can do a lot of harm to a business operation, camping near their water point or something like that.”
While an outbreak of something like foot-and mouth disease (FMD) has been modelled to cost up to $80 billion over 10 years in Australia, Agriculture Minister Alannah MacTiernan said scientific modelling showed ‘a very low likelihood’ of it occurring in pastoral areas.
She told the ABC she did not support any calls from the pastoral industry for pastoralists to have the right to refuse access to miner’s right holders.
“It’s been a real issue for pastoralists that lots of people are coming through their areas, I think the prospect of FMD being carried by those people is very low, but we can understand the concern that pastoralists have,” she said.
Screw Pegs Australia is offering Grey Nomad members the chance to win one of two Fully Stacked Starter Packs – each valued at $117. The pack includes:
Click here to learn about GN member benefits, how to join … and how to win!
I believe this is Absolutely so important for travellers to know, some people would be so unaware of FMD and l for one would be devistated if l was to be responsible for a case of FMD. Not to mention the loss to the graziers and there family.
We have been there to do detecting and always try to check with pastoralist. But it is very difficult to find phone numbers. Those listed often are incorrect esp mobile numbers. Maybe they don’t want their number published, but how else do you contact them? If you do have correct number, they do not often reply.
What a load of rubbish! Any expert in the field of FMD knows that the most common way to spread FMD is via Imported Meat Products and not by any other method. People really need to do their own research and not believe everything they read. This article is so rediculous. This is just another way to control people’s movements by using ‘Fear’!!