Pimelea research project to look at ways of how to combat toxic weed

AgForce are calling on industry and producers to help fund half of a research grant application to government’s AusIndustry which would examine fighting Pimelea through rumen detoxification and improved best management of the weed affecting inland Australia.

The project is intended to last three years and comes after producers met at Begonia, north west of St George, in May last year calling for solutions to the issue.

Some locals had lost up to 150 head to poisoning by that time and were deeply concerned by the impact of the weed.

Donations, cash proceeds from livestock sales, voluntary labour to collect Pimelea samples, use of paddocks and access to livestock for rumen samples are just some of the acceptable means for funding the project.

Already more than $110,000 has been pledged for the collaborative project and AgForce Queensland General Policy Officer Marie Vitelli said the affects of Pimelea didn’t look like they would be slowly down any time soon and research is desperately needed.

She said it was important for not only animal welfare but also the mental welfare of producers. 

“It’s a big issue with the winter rain followed by the summer rains and (in) a lot of these areas Pimelea is staying around for a long time and cattle losses have been significant recently,” she said. 

“It seems to be more intense and spreading.

”Hopefully research might come up with a compound or process that will reduce the impact of the toxicity. 

“It slips under the radar...being a native plant.”

Landmark Roma Senior Livestock Manager Rod Turner said Pimelea was costing some producers with bigger herds hundreds of thousands of dollars with up to 400 cattle affected on some properties south of Roma. 

“A lot of people are amazed they have gone 14 or 15 years without a problem and it’s started last year and they have got it again this year,” he said.

“Landmark are 110 per cent behind it because a lot of our clients have been affected by it and it’s also the personal cost. A lot of people are down in the dumps about it.

“We have to do everything we can to fix it up.” 

The application for the co-matching grant closes on March 22 with all pledges to be returned to AgForce before March 16. 

To  make a pledge or for more information, contact AgForce by emailing agforce@agforceqld.org.au or call 3236 3100.