Western Australia is one step closer to eradicating another invasive pest, with the lifting of the Quarantine Area Notice for red imported fire ant (RIFA).
The Quarantine Area for Fremantle has been in place since December 2019 when RIFA was detected during surveillance undertaken as part of the National Browsing Ant Eradication Program.
In December 2020, the Quarantine Area boundary changed to exclude residents and businesses outside the Fremantle Port precinct.
Six rounds of treatment and surveillance with no further positive detections of RIFA means the State is on the road to being able to declare Area Freedom in early 2022.
The lifting of the Quarantine Area means that occupants no longer require a movement permit for materials including potted plants, plant mulch, bark and wood chips, hay and straw, manure, soil, grass or other organic matter.
Earlier this year, the McGowan Government unveiled a $15.1 million funding boost to WA's biosecurity capabilities to better protect the State's primary industries, environment and communities from the impact of animal and plant pests and diseases.
Part of this funding is to build on our State's early warning, surveillance and detection systems which, in the case of RIFA, has been vital to the success of the eradication program.
For more information visit https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/rifa
As stated by Agriculture and Food Minister Alannah MacTiernan:
"The efforts of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and the support of Fremantle residents and Fremantle Ports has been vital to the success of this eradication program.
"This is a fantastic result to be well on the way to successfully eradicating another invasive pest from WA, protecting our agricultural industries and our community.
"With the volume of freight coming into WA continuing to increase, surveillance at ports is vital to early detection of invasive pests which can hitchhike in shipping containers, furniture and other cargo into the State."
