Pests and Weeds

Pests

Pests and insects cause economic losses to agricultural production, pose an unacceptable risk of exotic disease, threaten the survival of native species, and cause environmental degradation.

Species currently declared pests in NSW include:

  • Wild rabbits;
  • Wild dogs;
  • Feral pigs;
  • European Red Foxes;
  • Feral Camels; and
  • Locusts (Australian Plague, Spur-Throated and Migratory species).

Under the Local Land Services Act 2013, all land managers in NSW have an obligation to control declared pest species on the land they own, occupy or manage.

For information or assistance in managing pests on your land, visit the Murray Local Land Services (LLS) website or call the Deniliquin LLS Office on (03) 5881 1055 from Monday to Friday during business hours.

Weeds

Noxious weeds have the potential to cause damage to agricultural land, the environment, or human health and cause an estimated $600 million in damage to the NSW agriculture industry each year.

A plant may be called a weed if it is:

  • Not native to the area, including plants introduced from overseas or from far parts of Australia;
  • Able to grow quickly – weeds are often the first plants to grow in disturbed soil;
  • Able to reproduce more than other plants – some weeds produce thousands of seeds from a single flower; and
  • Able to reproduce in multiple ways – a willow can grow from a cut branch resting on the soil.

Some serious weeds are required by law to be controlled by landowners and occupiers. These weeds, called noxious weeds, are declared noxious because controlling it provides benefit to the community over and above the cost of implementing that control.

Noxious weeds can cause damage by growing and reproducing to the extent that all native plants are ‘choked’ out of an area.

The different classes of noxious weeds are defined in the table below, adapted from the Noxious Weeds Act 1993:

Class

Description
  1. State Prohibited

A potentially serious threat to primary production or the environment. Not present in the State or are present only to a limited extent

2. Regionally Prohibited

A potentially serious threat to primary production or the environment of a region. Not present in the region or are present only to a limited extent.

3. Regionally Controlled

A potentially serious threat to primary production or the environment of a region. Not widely distributed in the area and are likely to spread.

4. Locally Controlled

A potentially serious threat to primary production, the environment or human health. Widely distributed in an area and are likely to spread.

5. Restricted Plants

Likely, by their sale or the sale of their seeds or movement, to spread in the State or outside the State.

Declared Weeds

The Central Murray County Council is a single purpose local government authority whose purpose is to control and eradicate noxious weeds in the areas of Edward River Council, Berrigan Shire Council and Murray River Council.

A full list of noxious weeds declared in the Central Murray County Council district, including the Edward River Council area, is available from the NSW Department of Primary Industries website.

Obligations of Landholders

The Noxious Weeds Act 1993 places obligations on both Council and local landholders.

Noxious weed control obligations of Council under the Act include:

  • Developing, implementing, coordinating and reviewing local strategies, policies and programs;
  • Weed management on land occupied by Council and on Council-managed roads; and
  • Inspection of private and public lands and ensuring occupiers of private land fulfil their obligations under the Act.

The Act requires occupiers of both private and public lands to take responsibility and effective measures to control noxious weeds and plants on their land. Occupiers who fail to recognise their responsibility for control of noxious weeds and plants are liable to prosecution and penalty under the Act.

For further information about weeds in the Edward River region and how to control them, read the Weeds of the Riverina Identification & Control Guide, a publication produced by the Eastern Riverina Noxious Weeds Advisory Group (ERNWAG) and the Western Riverina Noxious Weeds Advisory Group (WRNWAG).

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