Weeds are known as “plants out of place” but, for farmers and the environment, some have a much greater impact than others. Weeds of serious impact locally include Serrated Tussock, Chilean Needle Grass, African Lovegrass, St John’s Wort, Blackberry and Fireweed.
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Weeds cost agriculture about $2.5 billion in lost production and $1.8 billion in control activities every year, and their effects include a decline in native biodiversity due to competition and human health impacts.
As custodians of about 80 percent of the landmass of NSW, farmers take their role as responsible land managers seriously. We take pride in the role our NSW Farmers members play in sustainably producing quality food and fibre for our customers.
From July 1, 2017, the Biosecurity Act 2015 replaced the Noxious Weeds Act 1993. This legislation changes the focus of how significant weeds are targeted and controlled. All land managers and users are responsible for managing weed biosecurity risks they know – or could reasonably be expected to know – about. This ‘nil tenure’ approach is very welcome.
The biosecurity framework and tools safeguard our economy, environment and community. It determines that everyone is responsible for doing their part in ensuring good biosecurity practices are upheld, as far as is reasonably practicable.
This legislation is a positive step and it is NSW Farmers’ belief that adequate resourcing at all levels of bureaucracy must now be a priority to ensure that those responsible for weed control are able to more effectively undertake their obligations.