The agriculture sector is deeply concerned by the latest biosecurity breakdown involving fire ants after more than one hundred nests were recently discovered on an Australian Defence Force base in Oakey.
While the National Fire Ant Eradication Program says it is confident that the infestation is contained and the origin of the ants has been traced to the existing containment zone 60km east of the site, experts say it may take years for the pests to be fully eradicated from the base which sits within the Murray-Darling Basin catchment.
Creek beds are now being inspected for signs of the ants with growing fears that they may now spread rapidly downstream into New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia via the Basin using a technique known as “rafting” which enables the ants to travel through waterways. The last thing industry and communities need is for the Murray-Darling Basin to become a superhighway for these destructive ants.
This detection was confirmed just a day before the release of a senate report into fire ants in Australia which made 10 recommendations and warned that the nation faces annual loses of $2 billion if a better eradication model is not put in place to stop the ants. Alarmingly, an earlier report from 2021 found that the ants could cut Australian agricultural output by 40%.
QFF and our members Canegrowers and Cotton Australia appeared at public hearings as part of the senate inquiry and have long asked for a greater level of coordination between all levels of government to address this risk to agriculture, communities and public health.
Not only is increased funding required to enable more boots on the ground for suppression and eradication, but we also need improved communications and public awareness campaigns to ensure the risks are understood by the broader community. Coordinated baiting initiatives, and the facilitation of entire supply chains to work together on detection and treatment programs is needed.
With Australian farmers about to be slugged with a $51.8 million ‘Biosecurity Protection Levy” the agriculture sector is becoming more and more concerned that it is wearing a disproportionate responsibility for upholding biosecurity measures. With biosecurity risks expected to increase in years to come due to a number of factors including growing developments and supply chain activity across the state, it is high time that the responsibility and cost of maintaining more fairly distributed.
Unwanted biosecurity incursions or outbreaks will ultimately impact on all industries and communities. Biosecurity is everyone’s responsibility and there needs to be equity in how the costs are shared with those who are increasing the risks also being required to contribute. This latest fire ant detection shows how important a whole of government, industry and community approach is when it comes to biosecurity.