Fire ant movement controls I Primary industries & fisheries I Queensland Government
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Primary industries and fisheries
Home> Plants> Weeds, pest animals & ants> Invasive ants> Fire ants> Fire ant restricted areas> Fire ant
movement controls
Fire ant movement controls
Movement controls to help prevent the spread of red
imported fire ants have been implemented in areas of
Queensland where fire ants have been detected.
The Plant Protection Act 1989 and the Plant Protection
Regulation 2002 place obligations on people to
significantly reduce the risk of spreading fire ants. This
includes controls that are placed on the movement of
certain items that could carry fire ants - restricted items
and high-risk items.
We must prevent the spread of fire ants to stop the
establishment of this pest in new areas. Containing fire
ants increases the chances of eradicating them by
focusing resources towards a specific area.
On this page:
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Who the controls apply to
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Definitions of restricted and high-risk items
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How to prevent fire ant spread
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Potential carriers of fire ants
You must not move or disturb more than one
cubic metre of soil in the fire ant restricted
area without an inspector's approval
Who the controls apply to
These controls apply to everyone - individuals and commercial organisations. Breaches of
movement controls can potentially impact on the community, human health and the
environment, and, consequently, carry strong penalties.
Requirements are placed on commercial enterprises that trade in, handle or move high-risk
and/or restricted items within and from a fire ant restricted area. Other states and territories also
place conditions on the movement of high-risk materials from Queensland, which may differ from
Queensland's. If you're moving high-risk material interstate, contact the entry state to confirm
the entry conditions (see information for interstate movements).
Use the Restricted Area Search Engine (RASE) to check whether a property in Queensland falls
within the restricted area for fire ants. Alternatively, contact Biosecurity Queensland on 13 25 23.
Definitions of restricted and high-risk items
The Plant Protection Regulation 2002 defines 'restricted items' as:
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soil (including a soil substitute that could be used as a growing medium for a plant)
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baled hay or straw
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an appliance used in agriculture or for moving soil.
The Plant Protection Regulation 2002 defines 'high-risk items' as:
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red imported fire ants
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soil or anything with soil attached (e.g. a plant that has soil on its roots or turf)
waste material, other than soil, that comes from the ground or is manufactured from
material that comes from the ground (e.g. material extracted from the ground as part of
building construction or kiln dust)
waste bio-solids that are a product of processing or manufacturing an animal, a plant or
anything that comes from an animal or plant (e.g. solid waste from a sewerage treatment
plant or solid waste produced by processing an animal at an abattoir)
a container used for growing, harvesting, moving, packing or storing that contains soil or
has soil attached (e.g. beehive, bin, carton, case, crate, pallet or pot)
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baled hay or straw
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an appliance used to disturb soil or for moving any of the above items
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anything associated with a person's commercial activity that an inspector decides may
spread fire ants. Once the inspector notifies the person of this decision, the thing is a highrisk item (e.g. silage).
How to prevent fire ant spread
As an individual or commercial organisation, you can help prevent the spread of fire ants and
meet your legislative obligations by understanding:
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what fire ants look like and what they might be moved in
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if you are in a fire ant restricted area
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that it is an offence to move a live fire ant anywhere in Queensland
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commercial enterprises that operate within and/or from a fire ant restricted area that trade
or move high-risk items have obligations placed on them
that you must not move or disturb more than one cubic metre of soil in a fire ant restricted
area without a written inspector's approval
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restrictions apply to moving high-risk items within and/or out of a fire ant restricted area
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it is an offence to treat or destroy fire ants without an inspector's approval.
You must also:
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report suspect fire ants within 24 hours to 13 25 23 or complete the online report form
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meet the inspection or treatment reqUirements of the product you are moving
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contact 13 25 23 to check your reqUirements before you move or disturb materials.
Potential carriers of fire ants
Some potential fire ant carriers include:
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soil or anything that has soil attached
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potted plants and turf
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building and construction waste
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baled hay or straw, or other such animal feeds
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timber or a container that has been in contact with the ground
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machinery that has been used to move earth
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anything else that is defined by an inspector as being at risk of transporting fire ants.
Related information
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Movement controls for commercial enterprises
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Fire ant movement controls I Primary industries & fisheries I Queensland Government
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Maps of restricted areas
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Movement controls for residents
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Approved disposal sites
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General awareness training
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Reporting a fire ant sighting
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Request a site inspection
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Fire ant declaration forms
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Fire ant general awareness training
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Fire ant image gallery
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Page maintained by Christine Windle
last
25 October 2011
© The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation 1995-2012,
Copyright protects this material. Except as permitted by the Copyright Act, reproduction by any means (photocopying,
electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise), making available online, electronic transmission or other publication of
this material is prohibited without the prior written permission of The Department of Employment, Economic
Development and Innovation, Queensland, Enquiries should be addressed to [email protected],gov,au
(Queensland residents phone 13 25 23; non-Queensland residents phone 61 7 3404 6999),
http://www.daff.qld.gov.au/4790_4699.htm
5/06/2012