Biosecurity
Black swans in ‘significant peril’ from bird flu
Australia’s poultry industry is grappling with an outbreak of H7 bird flu, but the H5N1 strain, which has spread to every other continent, could wipe out native species.
- by Mike Foley
Latest
‘I thought it was a horse’: Rogue pigs run amok across NSW
Oscar Pearse was sitting on his tractor planting a crop of chickpeas when he looked over his shoulder and saw his nemeses approaching.
- by Catherine Naylor
Bird flu hits another farm near Sydney
Avian influenza has been found at a second egg farm in the Hawkesbury district.
- by Ben Cubby
400,000 dead chickens: Bird flu outbreak at Victorian farm spreads to second location
Thousands of chickens have been killed to stem the spread of a deadly strain of bird flu, but the disease has already been discovered at a second poultry farm in the state’s south-west.
- by Bianca Hall
‘Massive surveillance failure’: Fire ant infestation sparks fear of undetected spread
More than 100 nests of potentially deadly fire ants have been discovered on Defence land in the Murray Darling river system.
- by Mike Foley
Swarming fire ants
Fire ants bites can cause a severe burning sensation that lasts up to an hour and in some instances can cause a fatal anaphylactic shock.
Indonesia told of mass cattle deaths only days after ship had left
Indonesia says it would have liked to have known earlier that 151 animals had died on a transport vessel from Darwin.
- by Zach Hope and Karuni Rompies
A missed chance to eradicate fire ants could cost Australia $38 billion
A national outbreak of the pest from its Queensland stronghold would sting the economy – and that’s without even considering the health costs.
- by Mike Foley
Fire ant threat requires whole-of-government response, inquiry hears
Helen Scott-Orr, a former federal inspector-general of biosecurity, warns the threat posed by the invasive pest goes far beyond agriculture.
- by Mike Foley
‘Absolutely devastating’: A tiny exotic beetle will see 180 of Hyde Park’s trees cut down
An exotic beetle native to South East Asia that kills trees by boring tunnels into them and implanting a fungus is invading parks around Perth.
- by Hamish Hastie
Fire ant spread to Tasmania sparks health warning
Experts warn hospitalisations and deaths due to stinging insects are likely to significantly increase if fire ants become endemic in Australia, adding to pressure on the medical system.
- by Mike Foley
Original URL: https://www.watoday.com.au/topic/biosecurity-1mfv