Breakthrough In Battle Against Rural Invaders

The Council’s Biosecurity section has won the praise of east coast farmers for its persistence in getting the go-ahead for greater use of the herbicide Taskforce to control three of Marlborough’s greatest rural threats, Chilean needle grass, nassella tussock and kangaroo grass.

Under the Marlborough District Council’s Regional Pest Management Strategy, landowners must control all three of these weeds annually to a specified standard. The farming community here, along with those in Hawkes Bay and Canterbury, have been struggling to contain Chilean needle grass in particular. All three species spread quickly and easily – in one recently discovered infestation of Chilean needle grass the weed had been carried onto a property by earthmoving machinery.

Marlborough District Council Senior Biosecurity Officer Ben Minehan has led a six-year project to get Taskforce herbicide registered for use in New Zealand. Registration was granted in November last year. A further application to get it registered for aerial use and to get kangaroo grass added to the label has now been approved by the EPA. The Ministry of Primary Industries has indicated that a new certificate of registration should be issued by the end of July.

Local farmers say the Council has worked hard on their behalf to ensure the Ministry of Primary Industries and the EPA understood the severity of the threat. Dashwood farmer Warwick van Asch is one of many farmers who appreciate what aerial spraying is going to achieve.

“Ben’s done a terrific job getting this through. Taskforce is going to be a great tool for us given the incredible amount of money we’ve been pouring into the problem just trying to get these weeds under control. Even if we get only four or five years respite it’s going to make a very big difference to farmers in this area,” he said.

Aerial spraying of Taskforce should be completed before mid-August to prevent seeding. Contact Council Biosecurity section for more information, Ph: 03 520 7400.