Queensland residents will be asked to self-treat their properties for highly invasive fire ants as part of a ramp-up in eradication efforts, with farmers questioning the costs associated with the “ambitious” strategy.
From this week, the National Fire Ant Eradication Program will more than double its eradication area in south-east Queensland, with every property in the 830,000 hectare (20.5m acre) target zone to be treated up to six times over two years, followed by a five-year surveillance period.
The target area forms the outer edge of the Brisbane region’s fire ants zone and compares to a total eradication area of 336,000 hectares (830,000 acres) over the last financial year.
Residents across the inner area known as the “suppression zone” will from 1 October be able to self-treat their properties, with those who report fire ants to be sent free treatment packs by mail – a change that was recommended by the Senate inquiry into fire ants.
The approach targets the rim of the infestation area, stopping its spread, while calling on the community to help stamp out ants within the suppression area.
The insect is believed to have entered Australia in the 1990s and was discovered at the Port of Brisbane in 2001. It can cause widespread harm to wildlife, agriculture and humans and has infested 700,000 hectares (1.7m acres) around Brisbane. In recent months, it has been detected in northern NSW and on the edge of the Murray Darling Basin.
The program spanning state, territory and federal governments was created to eradicate red imported fire ants and has been allocated more than $1.2bn of federal and state funding. Of that, $593m covers 2023 to 2027.
While the Senate inquiry heard that the program was a “shambles”, the program said that without intervention, fire ants “would have spread north to Townsville, west past Longreach and south to Albury by now.”
Cane grower Greg Zipf has been successfully self-treating his 140-hectare (350 acre) cane and soya bean farm on the northern Gold Coast for two years, supported by the Queensland government’s Fire Ant Suppression Taskforce, which works with the program. He said that while the baits are supplied, he has been forced to cover many costs associated with the treatment.
“Does it work? Yes it does, we’ve seen a huge reduction and suppression. But as a farmer, you’re time-poor and it’s certainly difficult to get the job done,” he said.
“The cost to us to apply and monitor on a yearly basis would probably be in the vicinity of $25,000 a year and we’re just one mid-sized operation.”
He said the onus was on biosecurity agencies to protect Australia from invasive species.
“The fire ant incursion was their fault. They look after the borders, yet individuals like ourselves have to bear the cost of someone else’s mistake. It’s become our problem.”
The move to self-bait across the entire suppression zone was an acknowledgment of the size and urgency of the task.
“The opportunity is now – if they lose that opportunity we’re done,” Zipf said.
Reece Pianta, advocacy manager at the Invasive Species Council, said the ramp-up in the program’s work was “critical” and “encouraging to see”.
“We are still finding outlier detections and those are being rapidly responded to, but turning the tide on fire ants eradication requires the additional efforts that the program has announced – specifically, baiting, suppression and compliance auditing,” he said.
There was still a cost benefit associated with eradication, as opposed to management of the pest, he said.
“It’s an ambitious plan and we have always thought that fire ant eradication would require an ambitious response – that’s what we’ve been calling for,” he said, adding that the next few years would be “really crucial” in their control.
The program’s executive director, Ashley Bacon, said that the increased efforts are part of a strategy that included all members of the community and government.
“We are committed to eradicating fire ants by 2032 to safeguard our way of life,” Bacon said.
“If we fail, life in Australia will change – backyard cricket, picnics in the park and walking on the grass without shoes could become a memory.”
Under Queensland’s biosecurity act, noncompliant businesses and individuals could face penalty infringement notices, biosecurity orders and prosecution.
