Boulia

Spelling Facilities

The Boulia Shire Council recognises that livestock plays an important role in the sustainability and growth of our shire. We are proud to say that Council’s Spelling Yards are only one of two organic spelling facilities in Australia at present and the yards are NASAA Certified Organic. To find out more about hiring the use of this facility, please refer to Council’s Fees and Charges or please contact our Administration Staff on (07) 4746 3188.

Reserves

Council has two noted reserves in the Shire – the Boulia Racecourse Reserve and the Town Common. The Plan of Management for Parks, Reserves and Sportsgrounds in conjunction with the Town Common Policy (policy number 124) and the Spelling Yards Policy (policy number 142) guides the Council on management of these areas.

Biosecurity

Biosecurity is everyone’s responsibility - Is your registration with Biosecurity Queensland up to date? Visit the Biosecurity entity registration website to learn more about who must register and how you can register or renew your registration.  

Emergency Animal disease update

Note: All three of the animal diseases below would see major disruptions to livestock movements, trade and the supply chain with significant flow on economic and social impacts for rural and regional communities. None of these animal diseases are currently present in Australia but prevention and preparedness efforts are ramping up.

	Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD): Highly infectious vector (biting insect) borne viral disease of cattle and buffalo. Now detected in Singapore and Indonesia (March 2022). Most likely risk pathway into Australia is via wind currents bringing infected insects into Northern Australia.
	Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD): Highly contagious viral infection of cloven-hooved animals (cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, camelids, deer, buffalo). Reported in Indonesia May 2022 and more recently in Bali. Most likely risk pathway into Australia is from food contaminated with the virus being illegally imported and fed to pigs. Another risk pathway is traveler movements with contaminated items ie clothing.
	African Swine Fever (ASF): African swine fever (ASF) is an infectious viral disease affecting domestic and feral pigs. Detected in Timor-Leste, and Papua New Guinea in March 2020.  Most likely risk pathway into Australia is from food contaminated with the virus being illegally imported and fed to pigs.

Current actions: The Australian Government is ramping up biosecurity measures offshore and at the border. The Queensland Government is also ramping up prevention and preparedness measures including surveillance and encouraging early detection and reporting from livestock producers via extensive awareness and engagement activities. In terms of preparedness, a range of briefings and training opportunities are being rolled out by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries across state and local government.  

Varroa mite update

Varroa mite (Varroa destructor) was detected in New South Wales, at the Port of Newcastle, on Wednesday, 22 June 2022. This detection has potential to have serious impacts for the bee industry, not just for honey but also for plant pollination. NSW has a State Coordination Centre (SCC) set up at Orange to lead the NSW response.

• To date, Varroa destructor has not been detected in Queensland.

• However, a Queensland incident management team has been stood up by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries to:
  • Prevent entry of varroa destructor into Queensland. 
  • Conduct surveillance to support Queensland’s area freedom claim from Varroa destructor. 
  • Engage industry, government, and community stakeholders appropriately to support the response program. 

• There are currently movement restrictions in place in Queensland, which means people cannot move bees, beehives, used beekeeping equipment or bee products (including honey) into Queensland. However, people are able to move some low-risk products and equipment consistent with the movement control order, including:
  • processed honey or processed beeswax
  • a new and unused apiary appliance
  • a quarantine secured diagnostic honey sample for testing at a recognised diagnostic facility.
• Biosecurity Queensland has also created the Bee 123 online surveillance app to help beekeepers check their hives and report the results.
• Biosecurity Queensland is working with other jurisdictions to facilitate the movement of Queensland hives into Victoria and South Australia for the almond pollination season.
• Should Varroa destructor be detected in Queensland, an on-the-ground response may be required. However, any detection of Varroa destructor outside NSW will lead to a review of technical feasibility of eradication.