It's better to keep your cattle away from the freshly fertilized paddocks containing poultry litter, as nine cattle on the NSW north coast have succumbed to botulism poisoning in the two distinct eruptions of the disease.

The farmers have been cautioned by Livestock Health and Pest Authority vet Matt Ball to prevent their cattle from grazing on the freshly fertilized paddocks, if poultry waste is used, for at least three weeks. He also suggested the deep burial of the dead cattle, instead of burning their corpses, as the leftover ash of the carcasses attracts other cattle, which can spread the disease in them.

He said, "The second outbreak associated with access to a poultry litter pile, and also because there is that feed within it, they will actually eat the matter, and sadly they can die from botulism".

Adding to this, he told that botulism poisoning is caused by the bacteria, which increases in multiples in decomposing matter of animal or vegetable and can enhance the chances of paralysis or even death, if one gets in contact with it. The bacterium is found in great levels in poultry waste, which if consumed by cattle, can lead to death. Thus, it is advisable to keep out the cattle from poultry litter mass.