New regulations surrounding transport of horses into NSW from known cattle tick infested localities in Queensland puts the onus squarely on the livestock owner to comply with the latest state regulations.
The cost of spraying horses with tickicide used to be $5.50 including GST, a fee unchanged since the goods and services tax first came into being. Now that cost has risen to $40 for every horse sprayed as private contractors take on the role of the DPI tick officer.
Horse owners coming from properties without cattle and going to events that don't include cattle can self-assess their horses and sign a form saying as much but for those who compete in campdraft or cutting, where tick-carrying horses might mix with susceptible cattle, the cost of competing could rise significantly, depending on the number of horses trucked over the border.
Already along the Queensland border the gate at Mount Lindsay has been closed to livestock inspections during Covid-19 and it will stay that way while the Kirra facility on the Pacific Highway near Tweed Heads remains open for the time being, however there is concern that too much traffic at the site is to the detriment of horses.
Meanwhile show societies and campdraft committees in the Northern Rivers are concerned that the new cost will deter Queensland event riders from making the journey over the border.
Kyogle Show Society president Matthew Painter said he was worried not only for his own show but for other smaller events, like the Tabulam draft that has been forced to cancel because of drought then fire.
"And during Covid-19 their entry numbers were obliterated," he said.
"With a payment like this - and I've heard the cost could go as high as $70 per horse - it is making the decision to compete a difficult one."
Mr Painter said Northern Rivers show societies relied on over the border entries to make their events possible, with some along the border zone taking up to half their entries from Queensland.
"This sort of decision makes it hard for those show societies to raise funds for charity. All the money raised by the show societies goes back into the community.
"We all want to do the right thing but this is yet another cost to the competitor or the committee."
Societies can have the option of hiring a veterinarian to perform the checking of horses but the cost could be prohibitive and if one person did the wrong thing the society could be liable.
"If something went wrong the flow on effect could be huge," Mr Painter said. "When the DPI was inspecting horses for cattle tick they were doing a good job. The system definitely worked. Why change something if it isn't broken?"
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