Farmers have called for a border crackdown to stop the spread of highly invasive fire ants into NSW, following several biosecurity breaches that exposed the country to a $60 billion risk.  

NSW Farmers Biosecurity Committee Chair Tony Hegarty said it was clear the NSW Government needed to take radical new action to protect communities and farmers from the potentially deadly pest. 

“From round-the-clock border checkpoints to detection dogs monitoring state lines, all options need to be on the table to stop fire ants from blazing across the NSW border,” Mr Hegarty said.

“The Natural Resources Commission found that if fire ants were allowed to spread the costs could be $60 billion over 30 years to Australia – or $2.2 billion a year – meaning the cumulative combined damage would be half of that of the COVID shock in 2020-21. 

“It’s clear we need to implement a serious biosecurity regime if we want to remove this threat from our shores.” 

Red Imported Fire Ants were one of the worst invasive species to reach Australia’s shores, and despite being detected in Queensland more than two decades ago, had not been eradicated. 

Mr Hegarty said the NSW Government now had no choice but to get serious about stopping fire ants from crossing state lines. 

“People in the north of the state are pulling their hair out, this is a serious threat not just to farmers but to our very way of life,” Mr Hegarty said. 

“Farmers in NSW are fast losing faith in the biosecurity system they’re funding, and its ability to protect us.

"The NSW Government must protect our state properly, rather than simply dealing with incursions when they arise. ”