Open letter to Mr Brian Crawford – “Queensland Branch Secretary A.M.I.E.U stating Teysbeenlieghdanger.com is promoting Alarmist and Misleading “Rubbish” about Q Fever and Teys Aust Beenleigh.”
This my my response to the statement made by the Australian Meat Industry Employees Union found here on their website – http://qld.amieu.asn.au/2012/08/10/statement-on-teys-bros-beenleigh-and-alleged-q-fever-risks-to-the-community/.
I invite the author Mr Brian Crawford to reply in the comments below regarding my reply to his statement. He is also welcome to contact me and set up a meeting so we can discuss the topic of Teys, Q Fever and the danger to the community.
Alarmist, Misleading and Rubbish
Throughout your article you refer to the information on TeysBeenleighDanger.com as Alarmist, Misleading and Rubbish. I would like you to understand Mr Crawford I have sourced all my information from statements, studies, government documents, doctors from the Mater Hospital, leading scientists in infectious diseases and local Beenliegh residents who have contracted Q Fever. I have also sourced court documents lodged against Teys Australia, stating their is a danger at-least 1 to 18 km beyond the Teys Abattoir Beenliegh Boundary.
Whats very interesting is for months https://teysbeenleighdanger.com/2012/07/14/is-it-the-flu-or-q-fever/ has referenced your website for information on Q Fever here http://qld.amieu.asn.au/content/q-fever-health-concern-meat-industry. That page has now been removed by your organization (but I just happen to have a copy). Why? How can my information be misleading and alarmist if i reference your organization?
Here are links which i have clearly marked on the website Teysbeenleighdanger.com from where i source all my information.
- A report by Queensland Health Brisbane Southside Public Health Unit warning that living within 1 kilometre of the abattoir places you in “HIGH RISK” of catching Q-Fever and can effect people within a 5 kilometer radius Source – Queensland Health Brisbane Southside
- Doctor John Olsen report claiming that Q-Fever can travel up to 18 kilometres from the Teys Bros Beenleigh Site.
- Is it the Flu or Q Fever – sources include nih.gov, cdc.gov some of the most respected health organization in the world.
- “Queensland health recommends a buffer distance of up to ONE KILOMETRE between high risk industries such as abattoirs and future” Source – Queensland Health
- Buffer zones ranging from 1000m to 5000m have been reccomended by Victorian and Western Australian EPA’s Source – Doctor Paul Bartley
- Court Documents from Court case when a a construction worker working 500 to 1000m away from the Abattoir sued Teys Bros Beenleigh. Teys Quickly settled out of court. Source – Ms Julie Armour MEd (Biomechanics), ISB ISM RIMA
- Read a Beenleigh local persons account of how he got
Q Fever and how it’s effected him
Are you calling the information here from Australian Doctors, Scientists, Professional Disease Experts and even the company you defend rubbish and misleading? The Teys company are currently suing me to get their studies on Q Fever and Government studies on Q Fever taken down from the website. Why would they spend so much time and money on lawyers to get documents removed from my website if they were misleading and rubbish?
Maybe the people of the following Q Fever Oubreaks may have a difference of opinion than yours.
- 1969 – An outbreak in a Brisbane ‘meat works’ affected 7.9% of workers. 1979 – An outbreak (110 cases) was reported at an abattoir in Victoria. 1998 – An outbreak (29 confirmed and 8 suspect cases) was reported at an abattoir in New South Wales.
- 2004 – An outbreak (9 confirmed and 6 suspect cases) was reported among farmers in South Australia.
- 2005 – An outbreak (5 cases) was reported among persons involved in calving activities, in New South Wales. 2006 (publication year) – An outbreak (4 cases) was reported among workers at a cosmetics factory.
- 2006 (publication year) – An outbreak (27 cases) was reported in rural South Australia.
- 2007 – An outbreak (5 cases confirmed, 1 possible fatal case) was associated with an abattoir in South Australia.
- 2010 – 400 people infected and 25 deaths living near abattoirs in The Netherlands
Source – http://www.gideononline.com/2011/04/02/q-fever-in-australia/ – http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2012/07/qfever_victims_to_sue_governme.php
The most common replyi get from when they see the previous Q Fever outbreaks is “thats in the past it wont happen again” or “Teys Beenleigh have very good procedures in place so this wont happen.” If this is the case why have multiple parties contacted me after seeing my website only now realizing they contracted Q Fever from the Teys Beenleigh Abattoir?
Teys Beenliegh Abattoir procedures and practices
You state “Teys Beenleigh has world’s best practices in place to protect its Beenleigh workforce and the general community from Q-Fever. These standards and processes are independently monitored, not only by the AMIEU, but also by local, state and federal regulatory bodies”. The license given to Teys Beenleigh by the government to operate states the company must not affect anyone or anything beyond the boundary of their property. Source – Teys Aust Operating License
Besides the smell, noise and feces which travels beyond their boundary hundreds of times daily, your organization Mr Crawford states that Q Fever can travel up to a kilometer or more. Source – http://qld.amieu.asn.au/2012/07/09/q-fever/ which puts Teys in breach of their license to operate. Teys Aust through proper court proceedings successfully lobbied for a 500m buffer zone on my housing development because its was unsafe and people could catch Q Fever. Source –
Not only does this put Teys Aust in breach of their license, but what about the thousands of people who already live and work within 500m the Teys Beenleigh Abattoir? When this issue was brought the Logan City Council, local and state government, the Queensland Health Department and Derm the replies were ” we will look into it”, “we cant do anything about it” or “well we cant make the same mistake again”.
Does this sound like best practices? Are they protecting the community? How would the 1000’s of people working living and driving by Teys Beenleigh Abattoir feel knowing this information? Why is the Abattoir open air? Why are similiar Abattoir’s enclosed? Why are local residents sending in pictures of cow manure littered across Teys Road? Why have The Queenland Health Department agreed that Teys Beenleigh are in breach of their license but pushed the matter off to Derm? Why have Derm said “They are doing the best they can”? Does this sound world class to you?
How much is a life worth to you Mr Crawford?
You stated that “Teys Bros (Beenleigh) Pty Ltd is a vital business in the region. It employs over 600 workers who not only work in the area, but who are also living and raising families in it as well. Their paypackets also support many small and large businesses in the region” portrays like you are admitting that their is a problem, but the Teys Aust company inject so much into the local economy that its ok.
So i ask at what dollar value is it not okay? How many people have to catch Q Fever to make you stand up and say its not ok? 2? 4? 5? 20?
Here is where i direct you again to the 2007 to 2010 Q Fever outbreak in the Netherlands where 400 people were infected and 25 died. – http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2012/07/qfever_victims_to_sue_governme.php
I believe your remarks are alarmist and misleading Mr Crawford.
You choose your words very carefully to try and portray a sense of danger to “the livelyhood of workers, families and businesses in Beenleigh.” By saying my website is “making unsupported and misleading claims about Q-Fever” is more detrimental to your own agenda as it shows you either have no clue about Q Fever and the situation at hand, or the Doctors, Scientists and Specialists who’s information i have directly sourced on my website must be wrong.
I believe your agenda is to protect yourself, your organization and the Teys Aust Company by misleading the public and slandering my cause.
I am awaiting your reply. Louis Toumbas.
Teys Australia 