ON FARM NORTHERN CATTLE ANIMAL HEALTH Z Fighting FA toxicity MLA-funded research is is a walk of 20km home or more, the compounds that stimulate growth and/or helping industry to learn muster is delayed,” he said. the degradation of FA by these bacteria; more about a natural “If you can’t move them, you can’t wean and developed molecular tools that can toxin’s impact on red meat them or sell them, so you miss out on be used to measure the abundance of production and is uncovering another reproductive cycle.” these bacteria in the rumen. options to manage it. Finished cattle ready in November or He said feed supplements enriched December cannot be mustered for sale with these nutrients could optimise the When grass becomes exhausted in bacteria’s ability to protect cattle from the Georgina region of north-western because they can’t be moved without toxicity. However, further work is needed. Queensland and eastern Northern increasing their risk of mortality. Territory, grazing cattle are attracted Management options for dealing with “Future studies should focus on animal to the local Georgina gidgee trees. the Heart-leaf bush differ somewhat. experiments to demonstrate the benefit However, it’s an attraction that comes that various supplements may provide with a toxic cost. “After a fire, it’s the first green shoot up,in preventing FA poisoning in cattle,” so it’s attractive to cattle,” Ian said. Chris said. The trees contain sodium fluoroacetate (FA), which is commercially known as the “Management options include holding “It’s an important, ongoing issue for invasive animal control poison ‘1080’. yards to keep cattle off it, or removing producers and while we have identified the bush itself.” the bacteria – and they exist in northern A metabolic toxin, FA – also found in the Australian cattle already so there is Heart-leaf poison bush of the desert Ian’s survey points to the need to do no need for us to inoculate them – we uplands of central Queensland and further work to document management need to do further research to prove WA – is deadly to cattle and annually practices in place now and build an the supplements are protective.” ■ causes a 10% mortality rate in cattle extension tool. grazing Georgina gidgee-covered Detoxifying FA Dr Ian Perkins areas, with a direct cost of $45 million.Another research project looked at E: ian@lpmqld.com.au MLA-funded research projects are managing FA’s impact with antidotes. Dr Chris McSweeney uncovering management options and This project, led by CSIRO’s Dr Chris E: chris.mcsweeney@csiro.au working on natural detoxifiers to deal McSweeney, investigated the way with FA’s impact. Both projects provide in which certain bacteria, naturally a platform forfurther investigation. occurring in the rumens of cattle,can detoxify FA. The work has theChill out to Measuring the impact potential to lead to supplements that fight off toxin Dr Ian Perkins, who has led a research could increase the proportion of these project to survey the toxin’s impact, said bacteria in rumen microflora and allow A veterinarian by training, Dr that while both Georgina gidgee trees cattle to browse the plants and not fall ill.Ian Perkins said if intoxication is and Heart-leaf poison bush increased suspected, the best option is to mortality, management options for each Chris, a chief research scientist, said past strategies included developing allow the cattle to relax. plant differed. a genetically modified organism that “You’ve got to keep them calm, For example, producers manage toxicity successfully detoxified FA within the don’t muster or move them. It’s in the Georgina gidgee by reducing gastrointestinal tract of ruminant livestocka neurotoxin and if you heat the cattle movement. Ian, a resource (colloquially called the ‘Gidgee vaccine’).cattle up – by moving them – they management specialist at consultancy However, concerns over the release can die suddenly with symptoms LPM Queensland, surveyed producers of transgenic bacteria and regulatory like a heart attack,” he said. in the affected areas and found that if hurdles led the team to study naturally cattle are moved while affected by this occurring anaerobic microorganisms Cattle will eliminate the toxin if metabolic toxin, mortality rates jump to that could do a similar job. removed slowly and carefully from as high as 30% (of affected cattle). the plant-infested area. Hold in a Chris’ team has since identified clean area for at least 5–6 days “The only real option is to stop moving a consortium of FA-degrading before further handling. them. On some properties where there rumen bacteria; found nutrients and 25