NSW DPI chief plant protection officer Shane Hetherington said there was no longer a need for varroa-specific regulation over and above existing bee biosecurity responsibilities.
“NSW will maintain the requirement to notify the presence of varroa and to control varroa through the existing provisions of the NSW Biosecurity Act 2015 but remove other restrictions,” Dr Hetherington said.
“This includes the zoning and subsequent movement restrictions in full, although beekeepers are still required to be compliant with the Australian Honey Bee Industry Biosecurity Code of Practice (the Code) and the General Biosecurity Duty under the Act which requires beekeepers to prevent, eliminate or minimise risks caused by Varroa.”
Dr Hetherington said there was now a sufficient commercial supply of conventional and organic varroa control options within Australia.
Call to open Barmah forest for firewood
State Member for Northern Victoria Rikkie-Lee Tyrrell has renewed calls for the Victorian Government to allow firewood collection in the Barmah forest.
“During the Easter break I took a drive through the Barmah forest, and I was shocked at the piles of dead trees and branches covering the ground,” Mrs Tyrrell said.
“Allowing local residents into Barmah forest to collect the fallen firewood would not only help regenerate forest growth but would also clear the potential fire risk this deadfall creates.”
She said it made no sense that Barmah residents were forced to drive a near 3½-hour round trip to their nearest firewood collection point near Warrenbayne.
“It is absurd when you have potential firewood littered across the Barmah forest that people can access safely and that is why Labor need to open the Barmah forest so local residents can collect the wood they need for the winter.”
Natural capital forum in Bendigo
‘Natural capital’ is the latest innovative thinking about the environment and how it relates to the economy, and the North Central Catchment Management Authority wants to give farmers and businesses an opportunity to benefit from it.
“Natural capital and its significance in emerging markets is a hot topic at the moment, and our region is well positioned to take advantage of that,” North Central CMA business development manager Matthew Dawson said.
“There are opportunities for local farmers, businesses and land managers to maximise on their natural capital, but there are also risks they need to be aware of.
“The forum will help people understand what natural capital is, what it means for farm businesses, and weight up the opportunities and the risks.”
The forum will be held at Bendigo’s Capital Theatre on June 13, from 9am to 5pm. Tickets are $25 and are limited.
For more information and bookings, go to the Events tab at: https://www.nccma.vic.gov.au
NSW Farmers declares war on pigs
NSW Farmers president Xavier Martin said the state’s pig problem was out of control, with official estimates saying there could be up to 100 million feral pigs in Australia.
“It’s the worst it’s ever been — these pigs are killing calves and lambs, wrecking food crops and wreaking havoc across hundreds of millions of hectares of NSW’s prime agricultural land,” Mr Martin said.
“Farmers are doing their best to contain the problem, but the numbers don’t lie, and the reality is we need to cull at least 80 per cent of these pigs annually if we are to win the battle against these pests.
“The Minns Government’s $13 million dollar investment into feral pig culls was welcome — but it’s not going to be enough.
“If we’re to truly break the breeding cycle, feral pig control needs to be a priority in this year’s state budget, or else the problem will spiral further and further out of control.”
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