Charlotte Varcoe
INTERSTATE livestock drivers have been turned away at the Bordertown cross border check point following difficulties surrounding Covid-19 testing requirements.
According to the Livestock and Rural Transporters Association of Victoria, several trucks have been turned away at the borders throughout recent months with two transporting livestock from Melbourne into South Australia.
Association president David Rogers stated in a letter addressed to Premier Steven Marshall that other drivers had been turned away due to not receiving a confirmed negative test prior to entering the state despite the current restrictions stating drivers need to present evidence of a test.
South Australian representative for driver and animal welfare committee and Mount Gambier driver Peter Edmunds said drivers across the region would welcome further testing stations specifically designed for truck drivers with concerns surrounding animal welfare.
“We all have concerns for summer with livestock being in extended line ups such as at the border or testing stations which adds extra stress and waiting for the stock,” Mr Edmunds said.
“It is difficult enough for drivers to manage log book hours, welfare of the stock and now this extra pressure on drivers to figure out where they will get tested is difficult.”
Merrett Logging haulage manager Adam Merrett supported initiative stating having a 24-hour station would be ideal for the forestry industry.
He said alongside the difficulties surrounding constant testing many drivers had experienced inconsistency with check in stations.
“Although we may not always travel outside the 70km cross border bubble, if we are in a truck we still have to be tested and if some drivers appear with their cross border permits there has been difficulty presenting them just because they are in a truck,” he said.
