Protests launched over fire ant program after dog, calf deaths

Rural communities in southeast Queensland are challenging the $1bn fire ant eradication program, claiming baits are linked to the deaths of animals and want evidence the baits work.

Fire Ant Eradication Program officers; Axel who was rushed to a Gold Coast vet; and bees from a property at Currumbin. Pictures: Sarah McGuire

Rural communities on Brisbane’s fringe have launched a protest against a mass aerial spraying program designed to kill fire ants after claims the baits were linked to the deaths of two calves and domestic pets.

Queensland-based group Stop the Toxic Fire Ant program joined livestock owners of Lockyer Valley to call for an environmental impact study on the baits after the deaths of the two six-week old calves, some magpies and sick dogs.

The group is taking legal action against the state government in an effort to get an injunction on the program, which they say is harming domestic pets, before an impact study is conducted.

Lockyer Valley cattle owner Trevor Hold said his two calves died after state environmental officers hand baited his 4.5ha farm four times in the past year.

Trevor Hold and Esk vets with one of the calves which later died. Picture: Trevor Hold

“My primary concern is the lack of transparency about what’s in these baits and their potential impact on my livestock,” he said.

“We’ve seen our animals suffer, and despite repeated requests, we’re not getting clear answers about the contents of these baits or their safety as no environmental impact study has been done.

“The aerial baiting, which is not even targeting a specific area, was done when it was raining so the bait got into the rivers and our dam and we believe that affected the small calves.

“I have paid nearly $12,000 to find out what happened to my animals but the final results from the investigation still have not been released.”

Mr Hold said the first calf died in November 2023 and the second in July 2024 but he had still not received the results of toxicology reports into the animals’ deaths.

He said the first calf was born after more than 20 Biosecurity Queensland officers walked through his property and laid down hand bait, which he believes affected their foetal development.

No autopsy was conducted but a Gatton vet said it died of suspected liver failure.

Preliminary findings from an autopsy conducted at the University of Queensland into the death of the second dead calf showed the liver had a toxic contamination and was likely ingested and not linked to a virus.

Residents are putting these signs up on fences in Samford to deter biosecurity officers from coming on to their properties to lay down bait. Picture: Sarah McGuire

“We have some concern this could be due to a toxicity, in particular aflatoxicosis or pyrrolizidine alkaloid toxicity, (from plants),” the UQ preliminary report said.

“Are there any known mouldy grains/bread/stubble or potentially contaminated feed-stuffs on the property that was fed to this calf that could cause aflatoxicosis?

“PA toxicity is probably less likely given the age of the animal but was there any potential of ingestion of containing plants/plant products?”

Mr Hold has asked for the details of the chemical used in the baits from Biosecurity Queensland, the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority.

Samford residents also lodged complaints this month after widespread aerial baiting across the Moreton Bay Council area.

They raised their concerns at a town hall meeting hosted by the National Fire Ant Eradication Program for 180 residents on May 30.

Stop the Toxic Fire Ant program spokesperson Sarah McGuire said Samford residents wanted the right to refuse baiting on their properties and said the aerial baiting, which began on May 26, was not targeting specific sites.

A report from the National Pesticide Information Center in Oregon said pyriproxyfen had low toxicity for humans and mammals and Mr Hold’s calves were the only two so far on the public record.

“This method is flawed and has led to the unintended contamination of local water bodies including Dawson Creek, where there have been no reports of fire ants,” she said.

“It contaminated the creek, which authorities admitted to at the town hall meeting, after water samples from concerned residents.

“We are not the only community to have concerns – there have been reports of magpies dying and dogs getting sick from the Gold Coast and native bees being affected.”

Last month, Samford resident Paula Brook took a dead magpie to the vet suspecting it had eaten some of the bait laid in July and Camp Mountain dog owner Paolo Denti took his sick dog to the vet after baiting took place on June 28.

Fire ant crews at Bonogin and pomeranian Happy, which contracted a liver disorder which a Gold Coast vet linked to suspected poisoning. Pictures: Sarah McGuire

Mr Denti said his suspicions were raised after all the bees in his backyard hive died that week.

Gold Coast dog owner Liz Simpson’s bull terrier died after suspected baiting and Currumbin pet owner Paulo Piccini had to rush his 12-year-old Maltese Shih tzu Axel to the vet.

Gold Coast vet Michael O’Donoghue, conducted tests and found toxins in both dogs’ livers which he said had links to the fire ant baits.

“There’s a strong association between the fire ant bait and the clinical science,” he said.

Moreton City Council along with the state government departments of Environment, Science and Innovation and the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries were all contacted for this story.

The fire ant baiting program has come under scrutiny since the state government passed on the responsibility of funding surveillance and suppression activities this year.

Logan City Council recently advocated for increased federal support, citing difficulties in handling the baiting operations and managing the associated costs.