The Queensland government has abandoned the self-treatment approach and announced extra funding to help to tackle invasive fire ants, as the pests continue to take a toll on people, livestock and farmers’ bottom lines.
Sixty people have reported extreme reactions to fire ant stings requiring medical attention this month alone, with 23 people hospitalised in south-east Queensland.
Fire ants attacked Carla Jarmila’s two-year-old daughter in a Beaudesert playground. (Supplied: Carla Jarmila)
Carla Jarmila’s toddler was bitten on the foot in a Beaudesert playground two weeks ago and the welts are still there.
“She’s now quite frightened of any ants and whenever we go walking she says ‘ants, ants,'”
Ms Jarmila said.
Of the one million hectare fire ant biosecurity zone, 650,000 hectares is in the suppression zone. (Supplied: National Red Imported Fire Ant Education Program)
Funded by federal, state and territory governments, an eradication zone 10 kilometres wide stretches from Caboolture in Queensland’s north, west to the food bowl of the Lockyer Valley and south to near the New South Wales border.
But within that is a 650,000-hectare suppression zone, funded solely by the Queensland government, where residents under assault from fire ants on farms and in backyards have been crying out for help.
Self-treatment criticised
Six months ago, the previous state government moved to a self-treatment model, making landholders responsible for controlling the pests in that suppression zone.
The Crisafulli LNP government today said it would abandon that approach, announcing an additional $24 million in funding over two years.
The Nursery and Garden Industry Queensland has welcomed the extra funding. (Supplied: Nursery and Garden Industry Queensland)
It means an extra 12 contractors will support the state government’s total investment of $61 million over two years in the suppression zone.
Now, eligible fire ant infested properties of 10 hectares or more can be treated by drone or helicopter at no cost to the landholder.
Authorities said it could reduce nest numbers by up to 80 per cent.
The red imported fire ant is small but has an unpleasant sting and attacks en masse. (Supplied: National Fire Ant Eradication Program)
Queensland Primary Industries Minister Tony Perrett said the previous state government’s approach was short-sighted, especially since fire ant queens could travel 5 kilometres in a single flight.
“This suppression work will assist those producers that are currently struggling with fire ants flying in from neighbouring properties,” he said.
“I’m seriously concerned that if we don’t get on top of fire ants and eradicate them, then the cost to the Australian economy will be many billions of dollars annually.”
The turf industry has been one of the hardest hit by fire ant restrictions. (Supplied: Turf Queensland)
Farmers welcome funding
Turf Queensland president Hugo Struss said his industry was spending millions of dollars treating fire ants every year.
He welcomed the funding boost and the shift away from the self-treatment model.
“It’s costing us a couple of people’s wages every year just to treat red imported fire ants when our neighbours directly opposite us are doing nothing,”
Mr Struss said.
The fire ant team treated a 500-metre radius around an outbreak at North Arm in January. (ABC News: Jennifer Nichols)
A cost-benefit analysis conducted by Central Queensland University in 2021 found that an uncontrolled spread of fire ants over the next 15 years would cost the agriculture industry $1 billion annually.
Mr Perrett said the funding would allow treatment over two years across 212,000 hectares of the 650,000-hectare suppression zone.
But some industry, residents and lobby groups are concerned it is still not enough.
Horses are particularly vulnerable to fire ant bites. (Supplied: Invasive Species Council)
Call for more federal funds
The Invasive Species Council welcomed the $24 million boost in state funding, but challenged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton to do their bit by matching it.
“Without matched federal funding, we do not have confidence that suppression efforts will be as effective and targeted as they need to be to stop fire ants from spreading into other states,” the council’s Reece Pianta said in a statement.
Reece Pianta is a fire ant expert from the Invasive Species Council. (Supplied: Invasive Species Council)
Minister Perrett said he wrote to Federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins back in January seeking matched funding for the suppression zone but was yet to receive a reply.
“I’m hopeful that we’ll see something in tomorrow night’s federal budget,”
he said.
The minister did not commit to matching the funding.
In a statement, Ms Collins said the Albanese Labor government took the threat of red imported fire ants seriously and had provided “$296.4 million over four years to 2027”.
“Our government has committed nearly four times the previous commitment made to eradicate red imported fire ants,” she said.
Kirsty McKenna says she spends eight hours a week monitoring and treating fire ants. (Supplied: Kirsty McKenna)
Kirsty McKenna, who co-founded the Fire Ant Scenic Rim Facebook page, said she had noticed an “explosion” of fire ant numbers since ex-tropical Cyclone Alfred swamped the south-east Queensland.
She said the suppression zone needed more funding from all levels of government.
“It’s really the only way that they’re going to be able to reduce numbers in order to eradicate down the track.”
