Shipping delay for Droughties
A shipment of Droughtmaster cattle bound for Malaysia was delayed 24 hours in Townsville due to crew problems.
It was contracted to carry 1300 Droughtmaster heifers, 53 quality herd bulls and four stud bulls after being purchased by the Malaysian government.
They were to form the nucleus of a breeding herd for beef cattle production in the country.
A spokesperson for the vessel's owners said the 31-member Pakistani crew refused to carry out work, and had also demanded dismissal of one of the ship's officers.
Foot and mouth control would cost millions
A United States expert told graziers in Emerald it would be necessary to spend money "like water" during the early stages of any reported foot and mouth disease outbreak.
The US Department of Agriculture expert was speaking of a three-day foot and mouth disease exercise conducted on the Central Highlands by the DPI.
He said it would be essential in the early stages of an outbreak to act decisively and quickly to stop the spread of the disease.
To achieve this no expense should be spared over the number of personnel involved and in the elimination of suspect stock.
Any restrictions in the operation because of financial restraints could mean that the disease might not be able to be confined to a limited area.
Images of the simulated foot and mouth disease outbreak showed "infected" cattle being off-loaded into a pit for destruction and men working their way through dead cattle, slitting them open to stop the cattle from becoming bloated and slowing decomposition.
Bowen support for Burdekin dam
A public meeting was held at the council chambers where Burdekin Dam Committee chairman Frank Rossiter outlined the latest Commonwealth - State survey report on the Burdekin basin.
Mr Rossiter outlined the advantages of the Burdekin Dam.
He said the dam could provide 1000 megawatts of hydro electric power and this power could be available to any industry which saw fit to set up in the Abbott Point area. He estimated the dam could be built over a period of eight years at a cost of $20 million per year.
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