Queensland locusts being closely monitored
26 February 2006
DAFF06/2D
The Australian Plague Locust Commission (APLC) is closely monitoring the development of a potentially serious locust situation in south west Queensland.
Special Adviser with the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Dr Gardner Murray, said there was a risk of a locust outbreak developing as rain in the past few days across most of south west Queensland could activate the hatching of eggs laid by adult locusts in January.
“The APLC has recently been conducting extensive ground and aerial surveys in the area and at nearby locations in northern South Australia and western NSW,” Dr Murray said.
“These surveys have not detected any significant locust activity, but nevertheless a risk remains.
“The APLC has developed contingency plans to undertake aerial control should a significant locust population develop to reduce any potential threat of locust swarms migrating into agricultural areas in March-April.”
Dr Murray said a small locust population near Broken Hill in NSW is also being monitored by the APLC but it did not pose any significant concerns at this stage.
Locust populations that build up in the western grazing areas of NSW, Queensland and South Australia areas following good rainfall have the ability to migrate large distances overnight into agricultural areas where significant damage can occur.
The purpose of the APLC is to undertake control measures to reduce the scale of such populations thereby limiting the potential scale of migration and damage that could occur.
Dr Murray described the APLC as a small but highly effective rapid response unit capable of quickly responding to locust emergencies.
“The APLC is generally recognised as the leading locust control organisation in the world in terms of its achievements over many years in locust control and applied research,” he said.
A recent study undertaken by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics demonstrated the ongoing benefits of APLC operations to Australian agriculture and estimated an average benefit-cost ratio of around 6.5:1 for APLC locust control operations. Its operations prevented potential losses in agricultural production of $55 million in 2004-05.
All locust control operations by the APLC conform to best practice and include mitigation measures such as competent staff, strict operating procedures, detailed record keeping, mandatory landholder consultation, environmental monitoring and liaison with industry bodies such as SAFEMEAT to minimise residue risks.
The APLC is jointly funded by the Australian Government and the States of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Queensland.
Further inquiries: Mr Laury McCulloch DAFF Media +61 2 6272 3232