NSW Government offers pesticide support for farmers plagued by locusts

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Image Credit: Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, Australian Government | Photo courtesy R. Eade, NSW LHPA

In response to reports of Australian Plague Locusts in the State’s northern fringes, the NSW Government is offering free support and pesticides to landholders, alongside establishing the State Co-ordination Centre.

According to Minister for Agriculture and Member for Northern Tablelands Adam Marshall, the North West and Northern Tablelands Local Land Services (LLS) have already supplied state farmers with the Chloroyrifos pesticide for free.

“Conditions on the ground have been ideal for locusts, which unchecked can destroy everything in their path, hence why the government has responded so quickly getting help out the door and onto farmers’ properties,” Marshall commented.

“If you’re a landholder who has been impacted then there are direct resources available. LLS can supply Chlorpyrifos and loan boomless jets and mister units to apply the pesticide – all at no cost to eligible farmers.”

Adertisement

The LLS have so far distributed over 3,000 litres of the pesticide across Moree, Goondiwindi, North Star, Yetman, and Warialda areas. 

Rural supply businesses have also begun offering private treatment options to tackle the pests.

“To further help manage the issue, NSW Department of Primary Industries has also put its State Coordination Centre on standby, ready to cooperate with LLS as required,” Marshall continued.

“This unlocks additional planning, technical advice, aviation and other resources as they undertake control measures to manage locusts.”

A serious concern

While the majority of property owners were well prepared to respond to the plague locusts, Marshall reiterated that landholders have an obligation to contact the nearest LLS Biosecurity Officer if they suspected an infestation – otherwise, the State risks “an increase in populations later on.”

“The more information we have, the better we can target the outbreaks. Even if a farmer has quashed an outbreak effectively as part of their own management strategies, it is vital they let LLS know,” Marshall added.

In the same vein, Central West Local Land Services Senior Biosecurity Officer Alicia Whiley said that early reporting can help prevent more serious concerns.

“Landholders should be aware that swarms, if they lay, can become a much larger problem so it is best we know about it prior to a second generation hatching,” Whiley said.

Adult plague locusts tend to lay their eggs in loamy red soil on compact roads next to crops, tree lines, and farm buildings. Though the eggs appear as distinct holes in the earth, Whiley noted that they can be difficult to find.

“One reliable indicator of new hatchlings emerging is the presence of flocks of ibis, wood swallows, crows and other large birds, which like to feed on them,” she added.

Scientifically known as Chortoicetes terminifera, the Australian plague locust is one of three main pest species of locusts in Australia according to the Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment. 

Historically, the pest – the most destructive of the three – has inflicted widespread and severe damage to the domestic Agriculture sector, with estimated damage to cereal crops overtaking the $25 million-mark