LIVESTOCK transporters are calling on the entire supply chain to take responsibility for one messy side effect of the industry.
Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association treasurer and transport operator Fiona Wild said managing livestock effluent was a shared responsibility and required a full chain solution.
She has been part of an ALRTA project to come up with solutions to manage livestock waste. This has led to the establishment of a steering committee to develop a code of practice, which will hopefully be in place before the end of 2019.
"We want a code of practice with shared responsibility, partnering with farming community, processors, and saleyards," Ms Wild said.
"At this point, not all partners see themselves as part of the chain and transporters are left as the easy targets."
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Ms Wild said effluent could count as a load restraint issue with the potential for fines from the Environmental Protection Agency or local government areas ranging from a few hundred dollars to upwards of $200,000.
She said some issues the entire chain could consider were improved stock curfews before travel, which would not solve the problem but could reduce it, as well as washout facilities at all saleyards and abattoirs.
Ms Wild said effluence raised road safety and animal welfare issues, as well as biosecurity concerns, with the potential for weed seed to travel between locations.
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