The Landholder Guide to On-farm Weed Baseline Assessments was developed by the Commission in conjunction with the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, and with input from individual landholders, AgForce and onshore gas industry representatives.
Commission Chairman John Cotter said the guide was produced in response to the challenges faced by both landholders and the onshore gas industry in looking to prevent or control the spread of a range of invasive weed species on agricultural properties in Queensland.
Mr Cotter said while the spread of weeds onto agricultural lands predates the expansion of the onshore gas industry in Queensland, this guide focuses on the interface between these two industries and provides a model that can be applied more broadly.
“One of the key lessons identified by landholders is the importance of benchmarking their weed status and establishing risk management practices, ideally prior to any significant activity.
The guide provides landholders with three basic steps they can follow including:
- Step 1: Weeds Present Now or Previously – Identify, document and map weeds (declared and non-declared) of concern that are/or have been present on the property;
- Step 2: Weeds Not Present – Identify and document weeds that are not present or have not been present on the property but about which landholders may have concerns;
- Step 3: Weed Prevention Procedures – This step outlines some basic procedures that landholders can use to help prevent the potential spread of weeds of concern on their property.
Mr Cotter said the guide highlights that a baseline assessment of weeds on a property does not need to be lengthy or complicated, but it does need to strike a balance between being practical as well as credible and it may also be beneficial if a dispute does arise.
He said the control of invasive weeds is estimated to cost the State’s economy and environment in the vicinity of $2 billion per annum and its hoped this practical new guide will complement other biosecurity initiatives being undertaken by government and industry.
A copy of the guide is available here.
