Council seeking cooperation from landholders in controlling invasive priority weeds in the Yass Vall…

Yass Valley Council Biosecurity Weeds Officers are seeking cooperation from landholders in helping them control invasive priority weeds in the Yass Valley.

Biosecurity Weeds Inspectors, Brett Lees and David Jarratt, are conducting property inspections across the Yass Valley Local Government Area and stress their role is to work with landholders to identify the presence of invasive weeds and then come up with a way to effectively manage any weeds that are present.

“We want to work with landholders to protect their land, and that of their neighbours, from priority weeds infestation. The priority weeds are called invasive weeds for a reason, they readily invade pastures and native environments and quickly become established, and, at which point, control and treatment becomes very difficult and very expensive,” Mr Lees said.

“While landholders in the district can identify more common weeds such as Blackberry and Serrated Tussock, most struggle to identify African Lovegrass or Chilean Needle Grass, which are equally as damaging to the landscape once established.”

Council will continue to run the ‘Weeds Awareness Wednesday’ posts on Facebook and our website, which will include priority weeds and those more commonly seen by landholders.

The call for cooperation has come following Mr Lees and Mr Jarratt recently being required to issue Biosecurity Directions to a number of landholders for failing to take any action in controlling priority weeds on their land. Failure to take reasonable and practicable steps to control priority weeds may lead to a Biosecurity Direction being issued. A Biosecurity Direction is a legally enforceable document requiring specified treatment and control actions to be undertaken. Failure to comply with Biosecurity Direction could result in a fine of $1,800. Continuing failure to comply with the conditions of the Direction could result in a further fine of up to $1,100,000 for an individual or $2,200,000 for a corporation.

Council's roadside woody weed spraying program is well underway with approximately two thirds of the roadsides sprayed.  It is anticipated that this program will be completed in four to six weeks.

22 March 2021

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