Cattle tick line

The cattle tick infested and cattle tick free zones are separated by the tick line.

The tick line is made up of a combination of physical and environmental boundaries including:

• built structures (e.g. fences and roads)
• natural barriers (e.g. mountains and rivers)
• environmental conditions (e.g. temperature and rainfall).

In central and northern Queensland the tick line is closely aligned to the 500mm rainfall belt. It uses the environmental conditions as a boundary between the cattle tick zones, acting as a natural tick line.

In parts of southern Queensland, built structures form most of the tick line as environmental control alone cannot be relied upon.

The current location of the tick line has been positioned to provide a sustainable and cost effective cattle tick free zone. It minimises the occurrence of cattle tick infestations and provides a genuinely cattle tick free zone.

Applying to change the tick line location

If you feel the location of the tick line should be changed you can apply for a review.

You can apply to Biosecurity Queensland as an individual property or a group of properties.

If your property is located in the cattle tick infested zone and you can eradicate cattle ticks and maintain a tick free status, you can apply to have the tick line location changed so your property is located in the free zone.

If your property is located in the tick free zone and there are cattle tick infestations that cannot be eradicated and maintained you can apply to have the tick line location changed so your property is located in the infested zone.

To be eligible to apply for the tick line to be moved:

• The property or group of properties must be immediately beside the existing tick line.
• You must be able to describe a new line that will be a genuine buffer between the infested and free zones.

If you are applying for a change from the cattle tick infested to the cattle tick free status, you must also be able to show the property or group of properties have been free of cattle ticks for at least 2 years. This could include details of eradication campaigns undertaken including records of herd inspections that show your livestock are cattle tick free.

For more details on the criteria download the policy (PDF, 227KB) or contact our Customer Service Centre on 13 25 23.

Pre-assessment process

Before you apply for the location of the tick line to be changed, you should download the application to change the cattle tick line pre-assessment form (PDF, 190KB) and discuss your proposal with Biosecurity Queensland. We can provide you with the detailed criteria for you to address before commencing a program to identify areas that need addressing and provide guidance.