Producers on alert as fire ants move west

Fire ants were previously only found as far west as Toowoomba, after a nest was confirmed in June last year.

But less than a year later, the pest was confirmed to be found at the Swartz Barracks, Oakey.

Toowoomba Hay Farm manager Shaun Hann said news of the discovery had put a lot of people on edge.

"I rang the Fire Ant Eradication Team (FAET) to ask about the Oakey detection," Mr Hann said.

"We have a shed about one kilometre from where they found the nest and wanted to know what we were looking at and what we should do.

"They (FAET) said that it was a single nest, they'd dealt with... and was not being classed as a fire ant zone.

"Irrespective, we will start behaving as if it is and taking all precautions.

"We already have sealed sheds, concrete floors and meet so many of the requirements, but we might do chemical barriers and baiting as well, to make sure we are ahead of the game.

"It's that close now, it's probably worth taking those extra steps."

He said the company had long standing relationships with growers who had ended up in a fire ant zone, which meant they couldn't buy hay from them while they implemented, often costly, compliance strategies.

"To put a concrete floor on a hay shed is a massive expense and we have had a shocking season for hay," he said.

"Not everyone can afford to get up to date straight away...they are still fine to sell in their area but we can't transport anything from them up into a clean zone, without a biosecurity certification to say they have followed all the guidelines and are up to scratch."

Mr Hann said, until the latest detection in Oakey, they had been 'a little bit out of the picture' based on their location in relation to detection, but it had impacted them in terms of sourcing product.

"The collaboration between Toowoomba Hay Farm and Feed Central Business, which are both owned by the Ford family, meant that if we can't grow local produce, we look to buy from one of our growers that are part of the Feed Central network," he said.

"We have to be careful that when we are doing that, we are not procuring from inside a fire ant zone.

"It's two fronts for us, one from a grower's perspective and storage and two from procurement ...if it's a product we aren't growing but we want to retail out of our Toowoomba shed, we don't want to be moving anything contaminated in here.

"We have had some good growers - for example the lucerne chaff supplier we bought from last year, who we can't buy from them this year because they have no inside a fire ant zone in the Gatton area.

"We have had to bring products from somewhere else, which is painful..those guys are struggling, it means we have to look further away, freight costs go up for that."

A Defence spokesperson confirmed that fire ants had been identified at Swartz Barracks, Oakey.

"Defence is working with the National Fire Ant Eradication Program to manage this and minimise the risk of spread," a defence spokesperson said.

"Defence supports the department of agriculture and fisheries in relation to implementation of the program.

"Defence is committed to the safety of our people and the neighbouring communities."

The Oakey infestation was reported shortly after a Senate committee report was handed down on the the spread of red imported fire ants in Australia.

Canegrowers CEO Dan Galligan said they welcomed the recommendations of the Senate Inquiry, including the call for adequate and uninterrupted funding of eradication efforts, the need for much greater transparency and accountability, a national awareness campaign on the threat of fire ants, and additional R&D to improve efficiency of control methods.

"However, Canegrowers believes the new five-year response plan should be given time to work before more reviews are undertaken. These actions should have taken place 20 years ago, so there can be no more delays in getting on with the job," he said.

"They (the growers) have faced increased costs for handling their crop residue, which is used in garden mulch and is vital to the economic success of the region's sugarcane industry.

"But equally disturbing is the impact these pests have had on the quality of life of families in the area, with parents continuously on the lookout for nests that, if disturbed by children or pets, erupt in huge numbers of angry fire ants.

"Growers have participated in various government control programs but there has been no concerted effort to eradicate the ants from their district. Even with the new eradication plan, it will be several more years before their area is treated."

Charlton hay producer Tim Durre, who has a property six kilometres west of Oakey, said whilst he hadn't had fire ants detected on his property, urgent action was needed to contain the fire ants wherever they had been detected.

"Perhaps the local government may be able to eradicate the ants wherever they are?" he said.

"Turning a blind eye to the Oakey air base will be seen as a direct hit to local primary producers.

"Most growers are very aware and conscious of the problem and on watch for them."