A CAMERA on Terranora Rd will not catch any speedsters but it will stop cattle ticks in their tracks.

Terranora Rd resident Iain Todd noticed the camera being installed near Sunnycrest Dr last month and questioned how a speed camera was justified for the road.

"This is not a traffic black spot," he said.

The camera was not a speed camera but operated by the NSW Department of Primary Industries to stop the spread of cattle ticks.

A DPI spokesman said an overhead surveillance camera has been installed on Terranora Rd to detect potential livestock-carrying vehicles.

"The NSW Government requires that cattle and other livestock coming from tick-infected Queensland meet treatment requirements for cattle ticks before they enter NSW - and that the owners record their movements with NSW Department of Primary Industries," the spokesman said.

"Border Cam electronic surveillance is on the seven traffic crossings between tick-infected coastal Queensland and NSW and checks for livestock vehicles that have not been recorded with NSW DPI.

"The Border Cam camera on the Pacific Highway at Sextons Hill was recently moved south to Chinderah, requiring another camera on Terranora Rd to cover that potential route into NSW.

"They are a very successful first line of defence against the economically-damaging cattle tick - which has the potential to cause significant economic impacts on the NSW cattle industries."

The spokesman said the cameras operate around the clock providing clear images of number plates, even on dark and rainy nights.