Producers doubt BJD funding

Agriculture Minister John McVeigh on Tuesday announced that as a result of a review of available funding carried out last December, he would recommend a doubling of the assistance, which he described as the most generous scheme in Australia.

The announcement comes on the back of a BJD Industry Advisory Committee meeting held in late December.

Mr McVeigh said he understood some concerns had been raised within industry about the progress of potential changes to assistance funding.

"While it is important that assistance to affected producers is maximised, it is essential that existing funds can continue to support those producers eligible for assistance under the regulations for the life of the scheme," he said.

"As the raising of this cap will require a regulatory amendment, I expect this change will come into effect toward the end of January."

The assistance scheme concludes on June 30 this year.

Mr Gunthorpe, himself a member of the BJD Industry Advisory Committee, has taken up the cause of Taroom cattle grazier Tom Campbell, whose compensation application has been knocked back because his quarantine period was two weeks short of the eligibility criteria of six months.

"The policy the government is pursuing is horrific. It's putting people out of business, so I don't think the government should brag about its generosity when people are out of pocket - some of them for millions of dollars," he said.

"I'm sick of the talk and the chest beating - the minister is indeed generous in giving $5 million all up, but there's no point if people can't access it and are doing it hard."

Mr Campbell's cattle were quarantined for five and a half months from November 27, 2012, and he says he has gone from being debt-free at that time to now having a debt of around $200,000.

This was made up of the costs of feeding cattle at home that he can't find markets for, lot-feeding others, mustering, testing, tagging and feeding stock to meet testing requirements, and fuel and transport costs.

He said there was a stigma attached to BJD that had affected his ability to make sales, despite having quarantine restrictions lifted, and he was concerned it will follow him for years to come.

"It all started back in November - I had a couple of hundred steers that I wanted to send to Roma, but they got quarantined.

"I found a feedlot to take 100 head for 100 days instead, but of course they came out and hit the cattle market crash. Instead of getting $2.20/kg in November I got $1.60 in April.

"I had to go the bank for an overdraft and they were very cautious, naturally, because they thought I was going to lose all my cattle. In the meantime I lost my lease country - people didn't want to take us anymore."

At present Mr Campbell is feeding 150 cows and calves, 100 heifers and 140 steers but says he has reached the limit of his overdraft and he can't keep doing that.

"I can't shift the breeders because no-one will have them, and I can't put any condition on the young cattle because the other cattle are eating all the feed. People have been good to me but they must get sick of me soon and in the meantime the bills keep coming in.

"Mr McVeigh promised that no individual would carry the burden of the government BJD policy, and he said he'd do something, but I'm not seeing it."

He said his application was for $36,000 through the supply chain assistance program, but he'd received a reply that it didn't meet the criteria of being under long-term movement restrictions.

The minister said assistance was targeted at producers whose properties faced quarantine periods longer than six months.

"Mr Campbell's property was released from quarantine within the six-month timeframe," Mr McVeigh said.

"He has been advised of his ineligibility for assistance payments formally and on several occasions."

Mr McVeigh added that the criteria for eligibility for assistance was set by the BJD industry advisory committee, noting that, as Mr Gunthorpe had been a member since its inception, he was puzzled by his comments.