Queensland LNP government says Labor's 'lacklustre' approach to eradicating fire ants fuels major spread south of the border
Fire ants are an invasive species which are believed to have entered Australia in shipping containers from America, while the spread in Queensland is understood to have kicked off in Brisbane in 2001.
They have been known to affect agricultural areas, with studies from the United States revealing a 35 per cent reduction in potato yield in Florida, and a 65 per cent reduction in corn yield in Mississippi.
They can affect more than 50 agricultural and horticultural crops, as well as turf and nursery species.
All are grown in Australia, in areas which fire ants could inhabit with fears the species could damage and kill some plants by tunnelling through roots and stems.
The Crisafulli government is now ramping up eradication efforts from a seasonal approach to a new year-round treatment in three regions.
The treatment will take place in Somerset, Lockyer Valley and Scenic Rim regions, which follows scientific trials conducted by the National Fire Ant Eradication Program.
The program will then move east towards the southern Gold Coast, where warmer temperatures persist for a longer period.
'The era of Labor's lacklustre go-slow approach to fire ants is over and we are meeting this challenge with all the resources available,' Minister for Primary Industries Tony Perrett said.
'The research-based treatment all year round could change the game for the National Fire Ant Eradication Program and puts Queensland in a very exciting position to have the best chance to eradicate fire ants from Australia by 2032', he said.
'We are listening to the most cutting-edge science, and we are implementing key recommendations from multiple scathing reports that Labor ignored during their decade in power."
The ants are known to have a painful bite and adapted to life in Australia through the lack of natural predators and the warm sub-tropical climate.
The Invasive Species Council said more than 97 per cent of Australia is a suitable climate for fire ants. They could inhabit almost the entire continent except for the most extreme, coldest locations.
According to the National fire ant eradication program, the invasive species have been detected across mainland Australia barring Tasmania.
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