In the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Alfred, the NSW Government has taken immediate action to ensure that fire-ant-carrying materials, such as hay, sourced from both the storm-impacted and infested areas of southeast Queensland are now banned from entering NSW while the after effects are being assessed.

Until there is a consolidated understanding of the impact on fire ant mobility and locations in the infected areas and outside that region, NSW must firstly protect its communities, farms and landscape.

The Group Biosecurity Emergency Permit, which allowed movements of hay from lower risk areas in the fire ant biosecurity zone of Southeast Queensland under certain conditions, will be suspended for one month effective immediately.

To protect our primary industries, the government is cracking down on the movement of materials such as hay, plus instigating increased surveillance and monitoring of movements across the border.

The recent cyclonic high winds, rainfall and flooding has disrupted fire ants in southeast Queensland and consequently people in those areas may not be aware of fire ants moving into their businesses and stored materials such as hay, soil, landscaping materials, pots and soils.

This follows the NSW Government’s suspension of turf being moved from Queensland Fire Ant-Infested Areas into NSW from November last year.

The NSW Fire Ant Team has stepped-up efforts to prevent the spread of fire ants with proactive early detection surveillance across northern New South Wales. The initiative uses specially trained detection dogs and human surveillance teams to monitor high-risk sites to detect and prevent. 

This swift response follows the surveillance of multiple fire ant colonies moving in flood waters in Queensland, within the Logan River catchment. While the catchment flows to the northeast and into Moreton Bay, the risk of mobile fire ant colonies being transported into NSW in known carrier materials is increased because they may appear in new Queensland locations.  

This suspension of hay movement allows the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) to further assess the distribution of fire ants following the flooding events and clearly determine the current biosecurity risk.

Fodder material such as baled hay could be unsuspectedly transported into NSW without appropriate processing and endanger NSW primary industries.

Other materials such as soil, sand, vegetation and debris are also regulated as high-risk carriers of fire ants and must be treated and handled according to the Order before they can be moved into NSW from the Queensland fire ant infested area.

Surveillance will target high-risk locations identified through tracing of fire ant carrier materials, along with areas highlighted by habitat suitability modeling.

The NSW Government is committed to protecting the state’s primary industries and has instigated record funding for biosecurity, $945 million, and specifically for combatting fire ants, $95 million.

Since December 2023, over 390 record of movement declarations have been made for hay, documenting the movement of over 6,500t of hay into NSW.

Minister for Agriculture Tara Moriarty said, “We’ve all seen the images of wind and rain in Queensland, and this is making the fire ants mobile over the coming weeks. The temporary suspension of the hay permit is a necessary step to mitigate the movement of these highly invasive pests.

“The impacts of Tropical Cyclone Alfred are being felt in our agricultural sector in the north of the state. They need our support to get them back on their feet and don’t want a fire ant incursion adding stress and strain to their recovery.

“We have increased surveillance focusing on high-risk areas and are employing advanced tracking and modelling techniques, taking strong preventative measures to stop fire ants."

“Fire ants won’t march into NSW they will either be carried with materials such as soil, mulch, hay and turf, or fly in by natural spread from QLD. Which is why we’re ramping up surveillance in these high-risk areas.

“Biosecurity is everyone’s responsibility, so it’s critical that businesses moving these types of materials comply with the Biosecurity Fire Ant Emergency Order.”

NSW Chief Invasive Species Officer Scott Charlton said, “We know that fire ants will raft in water as a survival mechanism and move following rain and flooding events.

“The recent videos and images on social media of fire ants forming rafts are no doubt concerning. However, we know from hydrological analysis that ants floating into NSW is not possible.

“What we can do is mitigate the increased risks of human-assisted movement of fire ants from the infested areas of Queensland and suspend the hay permit.”