Queensland Fire Ants & Protocols

Queensland Fire Ants

Background

Imported Fire Ants have been an issue in Queensland for quite some time. There is a lot of info on both the Queensland Department of Agriculture & Fisheries website about Fire Ants & the problem & impacts they have on the environment plus information on how to reduce the possibility of spreading these pests. There are two affected ares in Brisbane where Fire Ants have been found, & there are restrictions on the movement of Fire Ant carriers between those zone, into wider QLD & other states.

Link to the Fire Ant Control Zone Maps 

On the 15th of February 2023, NSW issued the Biosecurity (Invasive Ant Carriers) Control Order 2023. This has meant that the movement of Fire Ant carriers from Zone 1 & Zone 2 in QLD into NSW has restrictions placed on the movements, & the enforcement has been stepped up. There have been reports of NSW Police, NHVR & NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) escorting trucks back to the Queensland border for not having followed the correct procedures.

This article deals with movement of Plant & equipment specifically. See the Department's website for details on what other items are controlled under this Biosecurity order.

Queensland

In Queensland, the movement of soil, fodder & equipment from Zone 2 into Zone 1, & Zones 1 & 2 into wire QLD, are covered by the https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view/pdf/inforce/current/sl-2016-0075 & QLD Biosecurity Manual v19.0 July 2023 

In a nut-shell, if you want to move anything out of Zone 1 & 2 into wider QLD, you need to ensure that the item is free from soil & vegetable matter. This is self regulating - ie you don't need to get an inspection & Plant Health Certificate unless it is moving items from Zone 2 into Zone 1. Movement of equipment etc outside of those two zones can happen without any Fire Ant Protocols.

New South Wales

NSW has a stricter approach to the control of Fire Ants & movement of equipment across the NSW/QLD border. NSW has a pretty comprehensive list of information on their Fire Ant Webpage & a very helpful FAQ. Essentially, any used earth moving equipment being moved from Zone 1 or Zone 2 in QLD, into NSW requires the machinery to be free of soil & vegetable matter, plus it MUST have a Plant Health Certificate issued by DAF in Queensland.

New & Unused equipment is exempt from this requirement.

What is the Impact to Me ?

Things to consider when booking machinery movements from QLD:

1. Machines need to be cleaned to remove any soil & plant matter. This is what we normally ask for anyway for two reasons, biosecurity when you move equipment especially onto farms, secondly any debris falling of equipment in transit can end up hitting other vehicles etc - which will attract a fine for an unsecured load
2. Is the machine movement outside of QLD Zone 1 or 2 ? ie If the machine is not in either of these zones, then no inspections are required
3. Is the machine moving from QLD Zone 1 or 2 into other parts of QLD ? A visual inspection by yourself or us is required prior to loading to confirm there is no soil or plant matter on the machine
4. Is the machine moving from QLD Zone 2 to Zone 1  ? An inspection & Plant Health Certificate is required 
5. Is the machine moving from QLD Zone 1 or 2 into NSW ? An inspection & Plant Health Certificate is required 

Summary

In summary, it is good practice & a requirement from us that machines are cleaned prior to movement. The additional requirement now, & it is being enforced fairly aggressively, is that if you are moving equipment from Zone 1 or Zone 2 into NSW (and other states) the machine must be accompanied by a Plant Health Certificate.

We can assist with arranging the Plant Health Certificate & of course in this user pays world, the Department charges around $232/hr plus travel time to inspect & provide the certificate. The upside if they advise that they are batching request together to save time & travel. Currently there is a lead time of around 3 days to get the inspection performed.

If you require further information or want to chat about the implications, feel free to contact us on our office number ‭+61 7 5417 4469‬ & we'll be happy to assist.

CTS Team

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