Be cautious when sending bales

In the face of some of the driest conditions for many years, Lockyer Valley residents baling grass for fodder to assist drought stricken farmers are being asked to be mindful of fire ants and other restricted matter.

Lockyer Valley Environment Portfolio Councilor, Rick Vela, said although well-meaning and with honest intent, residents need to be careful not to send restricted matter into new areas.

While I certainly praise the efforts of people trying to help and as a Council we aren't saying don't, what we are saying is just be mindful we don't create another problem for them by spreading fire ants and other restricted matter, he said.

Unfortunately, fire ants are attracted to hay bales as they provide not only shelter, but also temperature control and even a food source so when baling hay and where the bales are expected to sit for an extended period of time, it's best to have them off the ground to reduce the chances of fire ants getting in, he said.

Other pest species such as Parthenium, GRT, Ragweed, Fireweed and Groundsel can also easily be caught up in bales and sent out west where the problem is two-fold.

Firstly, depending on the type of restricted matter, there can be health issues for stock. The second problem is that once the drought breaks, and at some point it will, not all seed is broken down by the animals digestive system meaning it can lay dormant in manure for many years.

It then just requires rain before farmers have a new problem in an area where historically there may not have been an issue before, he said.

The good news is that together we can beat this, we are all in this drought and impacted by the same issues but we must stay vigilant because the last thing we want to do is inadvertently give those already doing it tough another problem to deal with.

While I certainly applaud those for helping and I truly do, my advice would be if there is any doubt as to the material you are sending, please, contact Council and a pest officer will come to your property and ascertain if there is any restricted matter present.

In cases where restricted matter is found, the officer will assist the landholder eradicate the weeds through Council's free hire of commercial grade spray equipment and through our herbicide subsidy program, Cr Vela said.

For assistance in identifying restricted matter, please call Council on 1300 005 872.