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Moreland Council to consider using goats to keep weeds down in parks

A COUNCIL in Melbourne’s northwest is considering a plan to use goats instead of chemicals to fight weeds in its parks.

Moreland Council is considering using goats instead of pesticides to control weeds in parks. Ashlea Soden from Animals on the Move outside the Coburg Town Hall ready for action. Picture: David Caird
Moreland Council is considering using goats instead of pesticides to control weeds in parks. Ashlea Soden from Animals on the Move outside the Coburg Town Hall ready for action. Picture: David Caird

NO kidding: a plan for goats to be used instead of chemicals to fight weeds has been put to an inner city council.

If there is support for the idea from the community the plan could be included in Moreland Council’s weed management strategy.

Supporters of the plan say the council’s suburbs, which include Brunswick and Coburg, might even get a new industry out of it: goats’ milk products.

Edible weed eaters angry at Moreland Council spraying herbicide

The idea was put to Moreland Council in response to a request for comment on its Draft Pest and Weed Management Policy.

The goats are not in the draft plan but could be included in the final plan if there is sufficient community support.

HAVE YOUR SAY: Is using goats to control weeds a good idea? Tell us below

The review comes after the World Health Organisation declared glyphosate — most commonly known as Roundup — to be “probably carcinogenic” to humans.

The draft policy looks at alternative ways to control weeds and in a report tabled by council officers at this month’s council meeting it was revealed there was a proposal for a trial of goat herding to “naturally control weed growth”.

Community members from the former Sustainable Moreland Advisory Group had provided feedback on the draft policy and suggested the herding trial.

Very Edible Gardens co-director and forager Adam Grubb (left) supports the trial of goats to control weeds in public parks. Picture: Angie Basdekis
Very Edible Gardens co-director and forager Adam Grubb (left) supports the trial of goats to control weeds in public parks. Picture: Angie Basdekis

Very Edible Gardens co-director and forager Adam Grubb said he supported the concept.

Mr Grubb said he had spent time on a property in Hepburn Springs where goats had been used to great success to control blackberries.

“It’s not just for weed management, but there’s also a huge potential for what people put in their green bins to be fed to goats too,” he said.

He suggested the goats’ milk could be used to create a new boutique cheese industry in Moreland.

But Moreland Residents’ And Ratepayers’ Group secretary Jennifer Jacomb said the idea didn’t float her goat.

“What’s the true cost? Are you going to put the goats on a trailer, take them to where they are going to graze and take them back again?” Ms Jacomb said.

Ms Jacomb also pointed out that goat faeces would need to be cleaned up after the goats had finished grazing and that any milk product gained would have to be pasteurised before sale.

“Are they trying to change this from the Republic of Moreland to the Republic of Poo?” she said.

Council director of city infrastructure Grant Thorne said the weed policy was still in a draft stage and there were no current plans to undertake any animal grazing trials.

“The council is looking to more immediate options, including alternative, organic-based, weed control products, to assist in minimising its use of herbicides,” Mr Thorne said.

“These options are outlined in the Draft Pest and Weed Management Policy, which will go out for community consultation for one month from Friday (today).”

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Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/north-west/moreland-council-to-consider-using-goats-to-keep-weeds-down-in-parks/news-story/8b4d37ba5c7c64b02942e22fc1175353