Jack Gough is an advocacy manager for the Invasive Species Council (ISC) and has been in the Western Plains this week to deliver a keynote speech at the 2023 NSW Vertebrate Pest Management Symposium.

Mr Gough touched on the potential devastation of fire ants, should they enter our region.

Worryingly, if fire ants reach the Murray-Darling basin, their ability to create "rafts" mean they can travel down river systems and into other states. It's a terrifying prospect and would have devastating consequences for farmers in Western NSW.

 Eradication officers in Queensland have previously captured photos of the dangerous ants forming the rafts in flood waters.

It’s a survival trick where thousands of ants lock their bodies tightly together, trapping air bubbles in the process to keep them afloat. Colonies can survive for weeks this way, and will travel with the flow of the water.

Mr Gough called for the federal government to take concerns over fire ants seriously, and increase the funding for fire ant eradication while there's still time.

The ISC, is just one industry stakeholder pleased with the announcement for review by the NSW Government into invasive species management and biosecurity, that was made in early October

The National Farmers’ Federation has also welcomed news that Parliament has agreed to a Senate Inquiry into biosecurity issues threatening primary production in regional NSW.

"It cannot be understated how much damage these two major threats (fire ants and varroa mite) pose to Australian agriculture, Australia’s environment and society at large," NFF Chief Executive, Tony Mahar said.

 Among other things, the Inquiry will examine what the cost and impacts would be if Red Fire Ants spread across Australia, including what that means for agriculture, the environment and humans, as well as current response plans and funding.

"The NFF and its members have been actively communicating the threat this pest poses to Governments at all levels, and we are hopeful this Inquiry will support this. Appropriate funding must be delivered to ensure response plans can eradicate this pest before it spreads further," Mr Mahar said.

The Inquiry will also consider learnings from the Varroa mite incursion. While this is still very much a live situation facing the sector, Mr Mahar said he hopes an examination of the events over the past 18 months will assist with current and future actions.

"Varroa mite has already caused significant damage to the beekeeping industry, destroying livelihoods and limiting agricultural production. It’s a pest that has fundamentally changed the beekeeping industry wherever it has become endemic overseas.

"Australia is facing an unprecedented onslaught of biosecurity threats," Mr Mahar said.