![Pastoralists and Graziers' Association of Western Australia president Tony Seabrook. Picture supplied. Pastoralists and Graziers' Association of Western Australia president Tony Seabrook. Picture supplied.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/230597393/d5290ca7-3ea9-44f5-8158-38c75f314395.jpeg/r0_265_5184_3191_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The political storm over illegal boat arrivals has changed tact, with a peak farming body calling for increased defence patrols in northern waters to safeguard against a biosecurity breach that could shut down the nation's livestock industries.
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The issue was also raised in a closed-door meeting between three peak farming groups and Agriculture Minister Murray Watt in Perth earlier this week.
Pastoralists and Graziers' Association of Western Australia president Tony Seabrook told AGM Agri that it was crucial to the future of an Australian livestock industry projected to have a production value of $31 billion in 2023-24 that "we have to find every boat, not some of them."
"There is clearly a threat to the livestock industry in Australia from illegal immigrants coming into this country from a nation that has Foot and Mouth Disease and Lumpy Skin Disease," he said.
"I don't think anyone has gotten on to the real story yet - the unbelievable risk to our meat industry across the entire nation when people are able to come into our country unobserved.
"We need our borders protected by our navy. End of story. Whatever it takes, more ships or drones or other radar technology, our borders must be secure against a biological incursion and the fact is people got ashore and no one knew they were here."
![Biosecurity fears rise with illegal boat arrivals, call for increased naval patrols. Picture supplied. Biosecurity fears rise with illegal boat arrivals, call for increased naval patrols. Picture supplied.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/230597393/06ccd1bb-b73c-4e6f-8196-fb067223ee9c.jpg/r0_169_3307_2028_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
He made the comments after more than 40 asylum seekers were found wandering at Beagle Bay, in a remote region of northern Western Australia. A second group of 13 was picked up at Pender Bay, about 25 kilometres to the north of Beagle Bay, a few days later.
The men, from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, told authorities that they had arrived from Indonesia.
West Australian Premier Roger Cook said the situation emphasised "just how exposed our vast north-west coast is."
He added that the matter was "fundamentally" a federal government responsibility and "that's why we need to continue to make sure we have the resources to protect our coasts."
Mr Watt told AGM Agri that "our government takes protecting Australia's biosecurity system very seriously."
"That's why we have invested more than $1 billion in the nation's first ever Sustainable Biosecurity Funding model, which is made up of more government funding, more revenue from importers and a small contribution from primary producers," he said.
"The more funding we have available, the more inspections and monitoring we can do at our borders.
"I am advised that the biggest threat for an exotic pest or disease still remains the thousands upon thousands of containers and freight that arrived at our air and sea ports every week. This remains a key focus for our government."
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said earlier this week that Labor had maintained the core elements of Operation Sovereign Borders, including offshore detention, turning back boats when appropriate and increased program funding.
While shadow defence minister Andrew Hastie pointed to the "303 people and 12 separate boats that have arrived" since Labor was elected in May 2022.
Mr Seabrook said the nation's "rampant" wild pig population would be the most likely vector to spread a disease through the livestock industry, and that a disease incursion that originated in remote Australia could be circulating "for many months" before detection.
"If a disease comes into the country with unobserved illegal immigrants, and into the pig populations, it is a virulent disease that spreads very quickly," he said.
"You might sense the urgency in my voice. Wild pigs are everywhere and any attempt to exterminate them has failed miserably.
"If it got into the pig population, God only knows how we would ever get rid of it, but it would then get into the cattle quickly.
"You can move livestock from WA to Queensland in two days. All of our export markets would close immediately at a great cost to the nation.
"If you are a pastoralist in a declared area your whole business is out the window and the minute you lose the capacity to export you have this whole animal welfare issue, what do you do with the animals you cannot carry?
![Illegal immigrants found in remote Western Australia have been taken to Nauru for processing. Picture by Angela Wylie. Illegal immigrants found in remote Western Australia have been taken to Nauru for processing. Picture by Angela Wylie.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/230597393/08db0a09-6a95-4fc2-89dc-e6ab29f0b60e.jpg/r0_0_729_410_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"People have no idea what an outbreak would look like, the only way to eradicate is to slaughter, burn and bury everything in that zone."
Operation Sovereign Borders is a military-led security operation that has a mandated zero-tolerance stance towards "unapproved sea arrivals".