The ‘really scary’ future if red fire ant isn’t eradiated

The toll on Australian agriculture if Red Fire Ant isn’t eradicated could be huge, with one farmer having already spent thousands of dollars tackling the pest on-farm.

Farmers and scientists warn the future is “really scary” if red imported fire ants are not eradicated, as they call for a concerted government effort to stamp out the pest in the coming years.

Criticism of the federal government’s initial response to the pest is growing, after it this week failed to make a clear commitment to the uninterrupted funding that industry and experts say is needed for eradication.

At the moment the ants are contained to Queensland but could spread throughout Australia, with studies finding farmers could expect as much as 95 per cent to grain crops in their was an infestation on their land.

Greg Zipf is a second-generation sugarcane grower in the northern Gold Coast region of Queensland, and saysthe government squandered a “golden opportunity” years ago to contain the initial outbreak from the Brisbane port.

“I think they were lax and lazy with their approach … which is disappointing because now the funding program needs a whole lot more money thrown at it,” Mr Zipf said.

“They’ve thrown money at it, the government need to make a very firm decision and sooner rather than later. My point of view is in the next two years they need to give it their best shot or they’ll lose the battle.”

He estimates since the first outbreak of fire ant in his region in the early 2000s, he’s spent approximately $20,000 a year on treating and working to eradicate the pest across his 160ha property.

“In the past few years, biosecurity has set up a task force. We’re a small cane farming district here, and we’ve got an agreement, the task force do a calculation of total land area and each of us farmers are delivered bait so we can treat the ants ourselves,” Mr Zipf said.

“We do one major treatment across the whole farm and then spot treat, we do that continually. I estimate on my property we’re looking at $20,000 a year.”

Southern Cross University chair of science and professor of entomology Nigel Andrew said red fire ants are a “next level invasive species”, and the responsibility of eradicating the pest should move from the agriculture portfolio to treasury.

“The fire ant is next level, it’s really scary. It’s a species that doesn’t just affect pollination like varroa mite, it’s a species that’s all pervasive, it has a huge impact on farms, socially on local parks and gardens, and they’ve got the capability to be completely life changing,” Prof Andrew said.

“If they get into agricultural land they can quite easily stop cattle and other stock from grazing, they take over plantations, in native areas they can wipe out other species, they attack birds, mammals and reptiles, and they can get into playgrounds and grasslands.”

Prof Andrew said the only way to control the ant at present was with chemical spraying.

“We’re at the extreme point of trying to control them. They’re not worth managing, and management is going to be extremely expensive.”

The invasive imported red fire ant has been detected in Northern NSW for the first time.

A Senate inquiry earlier this year made 10 recommendations on the government’s response to the pest, including a rapid review of funding, greater eradication program transparency and a public awareness campaign, establishing an alternative independent agency or commission for eradication program delivery, along with more resources for public self-treatment of fire ants in infestation zones.

The federal government this week responded to the report, but did make any commitments.

Invasive Species Council advocacy manager Reece Pianta said ongoing government funding beyond 2027 was needed in order to “fully eradicate” red fire ant.

“We also want to see a rapid, quick review to be completed by early next year ahead of the election, to confirm if there is enough funding, especially when you consider the spread into NSW and the Murray Darling Basin,” Mr Pianta said.

Total national investment in the National Environmental Biosecurity Response Agreement since 2001 was more than $1.2 billion, with the federal government having supplied 50 per cent of the total $640 million investment.