Cattle tick fever outbreak on two properties south of Port Macquarie

DPI Senior Veterinary Officer Paul Freeman said the outbreak south of Port Macquarie had resulted in more than 60 mortalities on one property and two mortalities on the second.

“NSW DPI regulatory officers have identified cattle tick on several properties to date and will be examining cattle herds on adjoining properties to see if cattle tick are present,” he said.

“Any herds with cattle tick are subject to a DPI supervised cattle tick eradication program that can take up to 12 months.

“Regulatory officers are tracing the location of any cattle that have been moved off the infested property and are in the process of examining these animals.”

Owners of affected properties have been advised not to move any stock on or off the properties, and remaining cattle have been given anti-tick fever treatment.

Cattle ticks are the most serious external parasite of cattle in Australia. They can attach to cattle, horses and other livestock and can transmit tick fever, a potentially fatal disease of cattle.

The tick fever agent is carried in the blood and transmitted by cattle ticks when they feed.

Livestock owners in the area are reminded to remain conscious of farm biosecurity and be on the look-out for cattle ticks.

Signs of affected animals may include fever and depression, anaemia initially followed by staggering and sometimes apparent blindness, hyper excitability and jaundice.

If treated early the chances of recovery are good. Important steps for owners of cattle, horses and other livestock include:

Cattle tick and tick fever are notifiable diseases in NSW which means stockowners are required by law to inform NSW DPI or Local Land Services of any findings on their stock. Visit www.dpi.nsw.gov.au​ and search ‘cattle tick’ for more information.