$300m pest problem meets a new solution

Cattle tick and buffalo fly have been identified as the two highest-cost endemic disease issues for the Australian red meat industry – combined, they’re a $300 million problem, particularly in northern Australia.

With reports of the buffalo fly spreading further south and rising resistance to current controls, the cost is likely to grow without intervention. 

MLA-supported research is underway to develop new pesticides to combat both pests, while minimising the risk for beneficial insects such as bees and dung beetles.

Professor Joel Mackay of The University of Sydney and his team are developing the pesticides using the same cutting-edge strategies applied in human pharmaceutical development.

“The principle behind human drug discovery is to identify the individual protein which is causing the issue and then inhibit its activity by developing a molecule with a shape that is sculpted to wedge into a cavity in the protein – a precisely shaped spanner in the works,” Joel said. 

“A tick has thousands of different proteins that do many different jobs. We have chosen as our target a protein that is essential for the tick’s survival and we are now working on the design of a molecule to inhibit its activity.

During the five-year project, around 200,000 molecules will be trialled and the most promising ones will be carefully honed to fit into this cattle tick protein. 

“At the same time, we will be assessing whether these candidate molecules also inhibit the activity of the corresponding protein in dung beetles and honeybees,” he said. 

“We will be advancing with the molecules that selectively inhibit the cattle tick protein.” 

The same process will be used to target the buffalo fly.

“The issue with most insecticides is that the protein that they target has a similar shape in the cattle tick and dung beetle, so it’s difficult to find a molecule that will only impact the tick,” Joel said.

“That’s why a lot of insecticides are broad spectrum, rather than selective.

“Our protein target is subtly different between different types of insects, ticks and so on, meaning that we have the opportunity to find molecules that are selective for the bad guys.”

Bringing more control to market 

Pour-ons, dips, sprays and insecticidal ear tags are all commonly used to help combat the impact of cattle ticks and buffalo flies. 

In September 2025, the widely-used insecticide Diazinon was phased out due to health and safety concerns, leaving a gap in insecticides for both pests.

Following the project’s conclusion, Joel and his team hope to provide a proof-of-concept for a generic approach to the development of safer and more environmentally friendly insecticides.

“We’re also trialling this approach to assist in other agricultural industries and in medicine, including suppressing Varroa mite and the malaria mosquito without harming other, beneficial insects,” Joel said.  

“We’re really excited about the prospect of making a pesticide that is not only potent, but safe and selective.”