State lifts its biosecurity game as pest threats grow

NSW Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty says the Biosecurity Action Plan will protect the state's $20 billion primary industries sector by strengthening surveillance and compliance, boosting research and increasing support for farmers and landholders.

The Invasive Species Council said the plan's commitment to stronger governance, enforcement and longer-term planning is a significant shift in the state's approach.

"The evidence of the systemic failures is undeniable," the council's chief executive Jack Gough said of the plan released on Thursday.

"Without major changes, NSW faces an escalating invasive species crisis that will send native wildlife extinct, degrade landscapes and could cost the economy up to $29.7 billion a year by 2030."

The NSW budget in June allocated more than $1 billion to addressing biosecurity threats and appointing an Independent Biosecurity Commissioner. It also included four-year funding for a Weeds Action Program worth more than $40 million.

But Mr Gough said management of pest animals should get the same long-term funding certainty.

The biosecurity plan says landholders are being supported to control feral pigs and other pests, but Mr Gough previously criticised a reduction in funding there, alleging a "political deal" with the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party to fund a bounty scheme for hunters.

A "conservation hunting" bill linked to that has significantly lost support in the months since the budget but may be debated further in parliament on Thursday.

NSW is part of a national biosecurity system, but considers itself a leader in the space.

Part of the NSW plan includes working with neighbouring states to prevent threats crossing borders, such as fire ants first detected in Queensland in 2001 that have been found in NSW since 2023.

The new plan involves surveillance, response and compliance operations to try and prevent populations establishing in the southern state.

Also being targeted are varroa mites, which threaten bees and industries that rely on pollination.

The mites entered Australia through the Port of Newcastle in 2022, but NSW and other states have moved to a "management program" instead of trying to eradicate the pest.

The plan will seek to minimise the mite's impact, increasing resilience and capacity to manage them.

South Australia on Wednesday announced the removal of hives containing the mites, which had come from Queensland and WA, with the state's primary industry minister saying the pest is not considered eradicable at a national level.