Fire Ants on the march

Stop the march of Red Imported Fire Ants now
An army of Red Imported Fire Ants is on the march toward the region, having crossed over the Queensland border into New South Wales and being detected in the northern rivers, and it must be stopped dead in its tracks.
I pressed the Minister for Agriculture by placing a question on the Parliament’s notice paper, demanding urgent and immediate action, before the ants take a hold in the north of the State and begin marching south. I have asked the Minister what she has done so far following the discovery of Red Imported Fire Ants and what measures are in place to prevent the further spread in NSW. These ants can inflict very painful bites on people and livestock and cause extensive damage to ecological and agricultural systems.
The Department of Primary Industries estimates that unless stopped and eradicated, fire ants will spread and cause more than $1 billion of damage and lost agricultural production. This cannot be allowed as it would forever destroy productive agriculture in our region and send some farmers to the wall. This is the most serious biosecurity threat we have faced in many years and the government must take steps to ensure that cattle, the natural environment, and humans are adequately protected from harm and the pests are prevented from spreading further.