Crews caught with illegal garden items fined $60,000 amid 'serious' crackdown
The penalties were handed down by the courts after the businesses were prosecuted for breaching biosecurity regulations. CCTV, police, sniffer dogs, and border checks are all being used to catch truckies illegally hauling material that could be contaminated with the ants.
If fire ants continue their march southward, every aspect of life could be impacted. The species is known to swarm in their thousands, inflicting painful bites. It's feared they would destroy peaceful picnics in parks, interrupt sporting matches, attack and kill native animals and impact the agriculture industry. If the spread is not stopped, it's feared they will cost the nation $2 billion a year.
The fines follow a crackdown by the Minns Labor Government in November, during which Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty introduced rules banning the transfer of turf from Queensland's fire ant-infested areas into NSW.
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The two businesses were caught illegally moving turf, soil, turf underlay and compost over the border. Moriarty's office said the successful prosecutions "demonstrate that the Government's crackdown on rogue businesses" is working.
'There will be no sympathy for a business who flouts our biosecurity controls and threatens our state's land, homes and farms with fire ants. The full force of the law will be instigated to show this is very serious and will not be tolerated,' Moriarty said following the convictions.
'I urge everyone to do the right thing and comply with our biosecurity requirements to protect NSW from fire ants, or if you know someone is flouting the controls please let us know.'
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