A new campaign in the Hunter highlights how weeds can be spread by animals, vehicles and even people’s shoes and clothes.
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Hunter Local Land Services and Hunter Regional Weeds is urging everyone in the community to work together to ‘Stop Weeds at the Gate’.
Weeds cost agriculture in NSW an estimated $700 million per year. Weeds also threaten local biodiversity.
Hunter Regional Weeds chairman Daryl Dutton said good weed biosecurity practices were essential to stopping weeds such as giant parramatta grass, alligator weed and serrated tussock taking hold on local properties.
“Last year gorse was successfully eradicated from the Hunter and Manning Great Lakes, and we want to make it the first of many weeds kicked out for good.”
The campaign is targeted at helping everyone from landholders and managers, to farm contractors and machinery operators, to work together to prevent weed spread.
“Weed seeds can easily be transported between properties by animals, vehicles and even the shoes and clothes on people,” Mr Dutton said.
“We have developed an easy-to-follow checklist to help landholders explain to visitors and contractors how they can help reduce the risks of spreading weeds by taking some simple steps such as brushing themselves down or staying on approved tracks when moving through a paddock.
“We also have a step-by-step clean down method for cars and larger vehicles to make sure weeds are not transported off a property or between paddocks accidentally.”
Copies of a video, fact sheet and other resources are available through the Hunter Local Land Services website: hunter.lls.nsw.gov.au