NSW Farmers is demanding urgent action to stop the southward march of red fire ants from Queensland.
Key points:
- Five red fire ant nests have been found in northern New South Wales
- It is thought they came from a 20-year-long infestation in south east Queensland
- The discovery has prompted calls for more border checkpoints and better biosecurity
The call follows the discovery of five nests at Murwillumbah, 13 kilometres south of the border, on Friday afternoon.
It is believed the ants probably came from south east Queensland where infestations have been recorded since 2001.
NSW Farmers Far North Coast branch president Craig Huf said the invasive pests had the potential to have a drastic impact on local agriculture.
“If cattle are going to water and getting stung, they will go away and go thirsty, which is a pretty dramatic impact,” he said.
“This is a really important issue for agriculture and business.
“It needs to be a war-like response.”
Minister denies failure
NSW Farmers wants to see extra biosecurity measures introduced, including a checkpoint at the Chinderah weigh station for vehicles carrying soil, fodder or garden materials.
But NSW Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty today denied suggestions the systems already in place had failed to contain the pests.
“They were identified on Friday afternoon, and by Friday afternoon we had experts here on the ground checking the site and treating the ants,” she said.
“So they were killed there and then, on that day, and yesterday.
“We’ve got our experts in place now who are scouring the site within 500 metres of where these nests have been found to make sure that they haven’t spread.
“We have also, as of last night, put a biosecurity order in place so that businesses and people within a five-kilometre zone of this site are now unable to move products such as soil, mulch, plants … without getting a permit and getting them checked by the experts.”
Nests several months old
National Red Imported Fire Ant Eradication Program general manager Graeme Dudgeon said the nests at Murwillumbah had been there for several months before they were discovered.
“We know they’ve been here for more than a few months, otherwise the nests wouldn’t be as developed as they are,” he said.
“Some of the nests have had … young queens, and we don’t know whether these have flown yet.
“Normally these have to fly up into a swarm. They’re fertilised by winged males and fly off to create a new nest.
“We don’t know whether that has happened. We just found them in the nests.”
The detection has triggered a National Fire Ant Eradication Program response, which is part of a $600-million eradication plan developed by Australian governments.
Mr Dudgeon said the area was now being treated with baits that contained a reproduction inhibitor.
He said previous isolated outbreaks in places such as Sydney, Perth and Gladstone had been successfully eradicated.
“We’ve eradicated fire ants in Australia more than half a dozen times, and some of those are much bigger than this site here, so we have the credentials to do it,” Mr Dudgeon said.
