Cops, biosecurity raid Samford properties, woman arrested over fire ant stoush
Police and biosecurity officers have arrested a property owner northwest of Brisbane as a backlash against fire ant baiting flares up in the southeast, with residents saying “it feels like warfare”.
QLD News
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Police and a dozen biosecurity officers have arrested a High Vale cattle property owner and raided a second property in the Samford area as community anger at fire ant treatment fires up across the state’s southeast.
The dramatic incidents came ahead of two public meetings, one at Samford Community Hall on March 7 and another at Currumbin Ecovillage on March 13.
Video footage of the first raid, about midday on February 27, was posted on the Fire Ant Treatment Alternatives Page Facebook site.
An unnamed woman was filmed in handcuffs, surrounded by police, as workers in high-visibility uniforms converged on her Ryder Rd property.
The footage showed her being put into a police car but she was not taken to a police station.
Queensland Police confirmed they arrested a woman and issued a Notice to Appear for obstruction of an authorised officer following an incident near a Ryder Rd property at High Vale on Thursday, February 27.
After the arrest, biosecurity, police and an entourage of angry residents moved on to another property at the Goat Track, a road connecting Mount Nebo to Samford.
“There were three police and 15 to 20 biosecurity (at the High Vale property). This lady was trying to ask for time to remove her cows but they just handcuffed her,’’ resident Sarah McGuire said.
“They’re abusing the Biosecurity Act to access these properties.
“It feels like warfare. We feel like we’re under attack.’’
Ms McGuire said Thursday’s dramatic police intervention came after a number of property owners ignored notices to allow access to their properties for fire ant treatment.
She recently received a final notice herself, despite claiming that there were no fire ant nests there or in the area.
Hundreds of residents in Samford and the Gold Coast hinterland have turned out for a string of public meetings and protests over the past year and have engaged a Kings Counsel as they explored a possible class action against the state government.
The latest fire ant mapping showed more than 14,000 infestation sites in Brisbane and Logan alone.
The potentially deadly pest, regarded as one of the world’s worst invasive species, has continued to spread across Queensland and into NSW despite hundreds of millions of dollars being poured into a nationally-funded treatment program.
The National Fire Ant Eradication Program defended its actions.
“The National Fire Ant Eradication Program continues to engage the Queensland Police Service (QPS) to safely treat a small number of properties where owners and tenants have continued to obstruct eradication efforts,” it said.
“The small number of individuals who continue to obstruct our lawful access to properties in certain communities without reasonable justification jeopardises the successful eradication of this globally recognised super pest. Their actions undermine community safety and stand in the way of a fire ant-free Australia.
“Under the Biosecurity Act 2014 (Qld), we are authorised to access and treat all targeted properties in the eradication treatment area. We do our best to work with property owners to ensure we treat all properties safely and effectively. It is only after we have exhausted all efforts that we engage assistance from the QPS on special assistance arrangements to uphold the safety of all involved.
“We would like to thank all those in the Samford community who have supported us and forwarded positive messages to our teams. We are working to ensure the treatment of your properties is protected.”
A program spokeswoman told The Courier-Mail last month that about 100,000 properties covering more than 240,000ha had been treated since August 2024, with more than 99 per cent of owners and tenants co-operating with officers.
Police have been called to protect officers in the past.
The spokeswoman said fire ant treatments were assessed and endorsed by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority, ensuring safety for people, animals and the environment.
Suspect fire ant nests should be reported to the National Fire Ant Eradication Program on https://www.fireants.org.au or by calling 132 ANT (13 22 68).
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