{"id":347024,"date":"2024-04-19T15:21:56","date_gmt":"2024-04-19T05:21:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=347024"},"modified":"2024-04-19T20:16:13","modified_gmt":"2024-04-19T10:16:13","slug":"fire-ants-found-at-oakey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2024\/04\/19\/fire-ants-found-at-oakey\/","title":{"rendered":"Fire Ants Found At Oakey"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Fire ants have now been detected at Oakey (Photo: NSW DPI)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

April 19, 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fire ants have been found at Oakey just a day after a Senate inquiry recommended a review of funding arrangements under the national eradication plan.<\/p>\n

In January, Federal and State governments committed $592 million over four years to eradicate the pest.<\/p>\n

National Party leader David Littleproud said the Oakey detection was extremely concerning, given the area was at the tip of the Murray-Darling Basin.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly yesterday I warned that the whole country has been put at risk of fire ants because Labor has been too slow to act,\u201d Mr Littleproud said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe worrying thing about the Oakey detection is that if fire ants get up above the Great Dividing Range, it could potentially get into the Murray-Darling Basin and that could effectively see the fire ants go right down to Adelaide.<\/p>\n

“It would impact the whole country and have devastating consequences.”<\/p>\n

Fire ants were spotted in Kleinton, 30km east of Oakey, last year.<\/p>\n

It has been estimated that fire ants could cost the Australian economy at least $2.5 billion a year by 2035, if not controlled.<\/p>\n