Community
13 September, 2024
Concerns raised over truck wash closures
MEMBER for Western Victoria Bev McArthur has raised concerns about the adequacy of a recent Agriculture Victoria study into truck wash facilities following the recent closure of the Camperdown Saleyards.
The Truck Wash and Effluent Disposal Review by the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) review, which was funded by levies from farmers on the sale of cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, and their carcasses in the state, became outdated following the closure of Saleyards in Camperdown and Warrnambool.
Mrs McArthur raised the biosecurity concerns of farmers over the inadequacy of the rural and regional truck wash network with Minister for Agriculture Ros Spence recently.
“In essence since the completion of the review, truck wash facilities in Warrnambool and now Camperdown have closed, leaving a substantial gap in coverage,” she said.
“The previous network worked because, although the number of sites was relatively low, their placement gave good geographical coverage, like the knots in a net.
“The closure of the Warrnambool and Camperdown truck washes leaves a gaping hole in that net.
“The Warrnambool saleyard facility was particularly crucial.”
The review identified the Warrnambool facility as “in highest use”, with the site used for more than 40 hours per week.
Mrs McArthur said, while it may have been true that “the review found strong evidence of a functional regional and rural truck wash network serving the needs of the livestock industry across Victoria” in September 2023, this was no longer the case.
“Lacking this infrastructure could have substantial biosecurity consequences as well as costing enormous amounts of time and money by necessitating long journeys to alternative facilities,” she said.
“Farmers in the south-west, the heart of dairy country and close to recent avian flu outbreak sites, are deeply concerned by this situation.
“Taken together with the closure of the Camperdown saleyard site, this now means that the report’s conclusion is no longer accurate.
“Given the importance of this infrastructure and substantial biosecurity levies already raised from the industries involved, the action I seek from the minister is a new and rapid review of the network, and a commitment to build adequate new facilities where substantial gaps are found.”