THE sweet taste of old batteries is killing cattle in Central West NSW and producers have been warned to check their properties for lead poisoning hazards.
"We get about half a dozen cases (of lead poisoning) a year, and have had a run of them lately," said acting Central West Regional Vet, Dr Jillian Kelly.
The source of the lead has invariably been old batteries found in farm tips or around sheds.
"The cattle will seek them out...the lead tastes sweet, apparently," Dr Kelly said.
The inquisitive nature of cattle, particularly young cattle, made them more susceptible to lead poisoning than other livestock, she said.
This time of year when mixed farmers were busy bringing in their crops and there was often machinery in the paddocks was a time you often saw more cattle getting lead poisoning, she said.
Often the first sign of lead poisoning is finding dead stock.
Where affected animals are observed alive, they show signs of depression and are unresponsive to their surroundings.
"Affected stock are often blind and may walk aimlessly, eventually stumbling into fences or other obstacles, before becoming comatose and dying," said Dr Kelly.
"Finding dead cattle against a fence line would have lead poisoning as a prime suspect."
Even if the cattle do not ingest a fatal amount of lead, it can leave a residue in the meat that means the stock cannot be sold for meat for many months afterwards, she said.
Dr Kelly advised cattle producers to check around sheds, yards and in paddocks and remove any old batteries.
While checking for lead poisoning hazards, farmers can also consider reviewing the security of other farm areas that offer potential stock poisoning risks - including chemical stores, chemical handling areas, spray gear and stores of treated seed grain.
Ensuring that stock remain isolated from these hazards will reduce the risk of loss from accidental poisonings as well as keeping them contaminant free.
