Wide Bay farmers and landholders are invited to apply for grants to help develop new or improved pest animal and weed controls, Federal Member for Wide Bay Llew O’Brien announced today.

The Morrison Government’s $13 million Advancing Pest Animal and Weed Control Solutions competitive grant program will help strengthen the management of pests and weeds which cause significant damage to the environment and natural resources.

“Wide Bay has resilient farmers and land managers who do a great job managing the impact of pest animals and weeds on their land, but more can be done to improve the tools available to assist them in managing these pests,” Mr O’Brien said. 

“This grant program will help minimise the risks pests pose to Wide Bay’s precious natural environment as well as our valuable agriculture sector, and ensures we can be innovative in detecting, monitoring and wiping out invasive flora and fauna.”

Mr O’Brien said projects could investigate genetic modification technologies, chemical and non-chemical herbicides, disruption technologies and electronic resources, with grants of $300,000 to $2 million available.

Applications are open now and will close at 11:00pm, 25 September 2020.

“Established pest animals and weeds are a significant threat for our economy, environment and industries, so we need to ensure we have the best tools available to manage them,” Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management David Littleproud said.

“Each year, the economic impact of established vertebrate pest animals is around $800 million, while weeds cost us over $4 billion in terms of production losses and control activities.

“Through this grant round, we are supporting more effective management of pest animals and weeds to reduce their devastating impact on Australia’s agriculture and the environment.

“We will be funding projects led by organisations with a proven research and development capacity, that will target priority established pest animals and weeds.

“It will assist farmers, land managers and the community by generating new ideas, advancing research and the discovery of innovative pest animal and weed management solutions.

“The grants will also support employment by providing funding to successful grantees over the next three years to carry out research and development.

“This program will deliver lasting improvements to the way priority pest animals and weeds are managed, in partnership with state and territory governments, land managers and communities,” Minister Littleproud said.

For details about the Advancing Pest Animal and Weed Control Solutions grants program visit: https://www.agriculture.gov.au/pests-diseases-weeds/pest-animals-and-weeds/grant-round

Apply for this grant opportunity through the Grant Connect website or the Community Grants Hub.

FAST FACTS

• The Advancing Pest Animal and Weed Control Solutions grants program is funded through the four year Established Pest Animal and Weed Management Pipeline Program ($30.3 million over 2019-20 to 2022-23).
• There are approximately 500 introduced plants in Australia that are considered weeds.
• There are at least 73 introduced animals which have established feral populations including dogs, rabbits, deer, pigs, cats and carp.
• Project applications for the grants will need to target invasive established pest animals or weed species that are not endemic to Australia or a particular part of Australia.
• Total grant limits apply:
  • The minimum grant amount is $300,000 (GST exclusive).
  • The maximum grant amount is $2 million (GST exclusive).