Biosecurity

Leader of The Nationals and Shadow Agriculture Minister David Littleproud has welcomed a Senate Inquiry into the spread of red imported fire ants. Mr Littleproud said the inquiry was urgently needed, with Labor losing control of its National Fire Ant Eradication Program and failing to commit to the funding required.

Kidney-leaf mud plantain (Heteranthera reniformis) is an aquatic weed that was brought to Australia as a decorative pond plant. It has since washed into our freshwater waterways where it slows the movement of water, impedes the growth of native water plants, and reduces the food supply for aquatic life.

Australian grain producers have delivered another firm message to Canberra about their unambiguous opposition to paying the Federal Government’s proposed 10 per cent biosecurity levy ... “GPA understands the Federal Government’s intent to deliver a sustainable funding model for biosecurity, but the proposed policy fails to deliver this outcome on multiple levels”: GPA Chair and WA grain producer, Barry Large.

The National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) has told the Federal Government it opposes a new biosecurity levy on farmers, saying the proposed levy may erode farmer confidence in the entire levy system. In the NFF’s submission to the Introduction of the Biosecurity Protection Levy: Consultation Paper, Chief Executive Tony Mahar said while the peak farming body supports ongoing efforts to ensure Australia’s biosecurity system is well resourced, it does not support this policy.

The third national survey of pests and weeds shows 85 per cent of land managers spent on average around $21,950 in 2022 on pest and weed species management ... “Land managers reported that feral animals continue to cause considerable impacts on their properties in 2022,” Dr Greenville said.

Three Palmers Island prawn farms at the centre of the White Spot outbreak in the Clarence River have entered the final stage of decontamination as part of the NSW Department of Primary Industries DPI eradication response ... The extension of the Control Order was a devastating blow for the Clarence prawn trawl industry and trawler operators like Dean Opalniuk, who received no income from prawns this year, where he would usually average $3000 a week in season, leaving him with a business that was worth more than $200,000, now being worthless.

The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) has welcomed a one year extension to the Wild Dog Management Plan after calling for its renewal in recent weeks ... “It just made sense to extend the highly successful Wild Dog Management Plan”: VFF Livestock Group Vice-President and Tallangatta farmer Peter Star.

Cost-effective feeding strategies to support hive health and productivity could strengthen industry resilience. Supplementary feeding of bees could make Australian beekeepers more resilient to extreme climatic events, such as fire, drought or floods ... “The need for pollination services is also increasing at a fast rate, making supplementary feeding a more important management tool than ever before”: Dr Madlen Kratz, NSWDPI.

One of the north coast’s largest beekeepers, Clarenza based Bee Services owner Steve Fuller says transitioning from eradicating Varroa mite to managing the problem was the best solution for the industry, but the full impact of the insect might not be known for two or three years.

NSW Farmers says the federal government must force importers to pay for the biosecurity threats they create. The calls came after authorities admitted defeat on eradicating Varroa mite after more than a year of fighting the invasive pest.