LOL Right on. National fire ant program asks for more money amid fears 2027 eradication deadline will be missed
ABC Radio Brisbane / By Lucy Stone and David Chen
Friday 11 Feb 2022 at 8:20am, updated Fri 11 Feb 2022 at 12:54pm
Red imported fire ants have been a major pest headache for Australia since 2001. (Supplied: Qld Department of Agriculture and Fisheries)
A $400 million program to eradicate fire ants may not know the true spread of the pest, a leading expert says, as Australia's agriculture ministers decide whether to give the program more money. Key points:
* A 10-year national cost-sharing program to eradicate fire ants may not know where the ants are, an expert says
* The $411 million program is short on funds to complete eradication by 2027
* An independent review of the program is being considered by Australia's agriculture ministers
The national fire ant program is currently under review after admitting last year it was running short on funds and time to stamp out the costly pest.
Five years into the 10-year program, the steering committee's chair Dr Wendy Craik says it's clear the program is "unlikely" to eradicate fire ants under current funding levels.
[...]
'Totally irresponsible'
Since 2019 the program has become increasingly reliant on local councils and community members to report and treat the pests themselves.
Lowood hay producer Max Linde, whose property sits north-west of Ipswich, said locals believed additional funding would be better spent providing farmers with the necessary equipment needed to eradicate fire ants.
Fire ant nests on an Ipswich property.(ABC News: Rachel Riga)
He said the program had failed to communicate with locals in south-east Queensland and had "pissed the whole community off".
Mr Linde said the program had not improved its engagement with the community since it began. It closed his hay farm for several months in 2021.
"It's totally irresponsible of them. It's quite pathetic, to be honest," he said.
"And then you start asking these questions and, and no one can answer anything for you."
The 64-year-old said many farmers, including his son, had discovered fire ant nests on their property and ended up doing the program's work for them.
"[My son] had to go down and mark the nests for them, so they could come back and treat [the fire ants]," Mr Linde said.
"I know instances of places where they have gone to find the fire ants, put in a purple flag [and say] 'We'll be back to eradicate these'. And 12 months later, they still haven't come back."
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