Napperby farmer pleads for answers on lead contamination

A farmer whose cattle were contaminated with lead is pleading with authorities to test neighbouring properties and discover its source. 

Jamie Macdonald, of Napperby in South Australia’s Mid North near Port Pirie, contacted vets in 2019 when he noticed his cows were acting strangely, swaying and stumbling around paddocks. 

From there it was revealed his cattle had lead levels of up to 1.25, which is five times the regulated upper limit of 0.24 micromoles per litre of blood. 

Three years on, Mr Macdonald’s cows are regularly tested for their lead levels.

He has only just been given clearance in recent weeks to sell some of his cows as they passed under the 0.24 lead blood level. 

“We’ve got some that have just crept in under the limits so we’re trying to get them into a truck but the weather’s been bad,” Mr Macdonald said.

“What’s another week, they’ve been here for 2.5 years, nearly three years so what’s another?”

Calls to test for lead in the area

Mr Macdonald said he did not know the source of the lead contamination, and he urged the Department of Primary Industries and Regions South Australia to test lead levels in cattle in the area.

“The only way to find out is to test our neighbours and test local cattle that are the same as ours, but again, you’re looking at three years, so if ours are dropping theirs are dropping, so we’ll never get the truth to answer,” he said. 

The department provided a statement saying the unexplained mortality reports of Mr MacDonald’s property of up to 10 cows in 2019 was likely due to vitamin A deficiency. 

“During this investigation the department additionally identified elevated lead levels in blood and tissue,” the statement said.

“While these levels were not considered high enough to be a cause of the deaths, they did exceed Australian Food Standards.”

It said an investigation never revealed where the lead came from. 

“PIRSA’s investigations did not reveal any source of lead present on the property that has caused exposure of the cattle to high lead level,” it said.

The department said it was blood testing cattle to check lead levels which were “continuing to reduce, indicating that ongoing exposure is not occurring”.

Mr Macdonald said he had been giving his cattle vitamin A concentrates for nine weeks prior to their deaths in 2019. 

“There’s something blocking the level of vitamin A being absorbed in the cattle so we presumed that may have been the lead,” he said.

Left in the dark

Mr Macdonald said it had cost him thousands of dollars to keep the cattle at his farm while their lead levels reduced.

“We’ve just been kicked in the teeth, that’s how it feels,” Mr Macdonald said.

“We’ve had no help, financial advice, or we’ve had no help with the mental health side of things, you’re just on your own.”

He said the value of his cattle had declined significantly due to the lead contamination as their offal couldn’t be used.

“We just want to be sat down and someone talk to us about how we get out of this, and where does our future lie?”