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Plant Health Laws in South Australia (PDF 641.6 KB)

Queensland Fruit Fly - Host Check List (PDF 1.1 MB)

Latest News

Biosecurity SA has produced a new information poster for commercial growers and the public on signs to look out for in detecting Potato Spindle Tuber Viroid disease (PSTVd). More information or view poster ( PDF 1.3 MB).

Sterile flies to 'wing it' in Salisbury fruit fly purge

Fruit fly outbreak declared in Adelaide's north-west - 23 February 2012

APVMA – suspension of use of dimethoate - 6 October 2011 (external site)

Locusts

Languages Other Than English
If you need information translated, and you live in South Australia, please contact the Telephone Interpreter Service (TIS) on 13 14 50 and ask the interpreter to telephone Service SA on 13 23 24.

For more information about this translation service go to the Interpreting and Translation Centre.

Fire ants

Red Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis invicta)

Red Imported Fire Ant (RIFA) is one of the world’s most invasive pests. Its detection in Brisbane in February 2001 led to one of the largest and most complex responses to an exotic pest in Australia.

RIFA has severe impacts on the environment, agriculture, public infrastructure, human health and social amenity.  It delivers a painful sting that poses a health risk, and can cause severe allergy and death.

The economic implications of RIFA are substantial but difficult to estimate as there is no agreed methodology for valuing social and environmental impacts.  The Australian Bureau of Agricultural Resource Economics estimated that direct economic costs of at least $8.9 billion over the next 30 years.

Nationally coordinated responses to eradicate invasive pests and diseases are in the national interest because the alternative of allowing exotic pests to establish and spread throughout the nation has ongoing economic, environmental and social implications for Australia
The National Red Imported Fire Ant Eradication Program has made significant progress in eradicating fire ants from Australia. Surveillance is ongoing, and treatment and containment measures are continuing in areas of south east Queensland where the ants have been detected.

Red Imported Fire Ant is a notifiable pest under South Australia’s Plant Health Act 2009 and as such must be reported immediately to Biosecurity SA.

To report suspect cases of Red Imported Fire Ant, please contact the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline on 1800 084 881.

Transporters, individuals and businesses moving host material from Queensland to South Australia need to be aware of the movement restrictions that are in place.

The South Australian Plant Quarantine Standard (condition 2) stipulates that the movement of any host material for Red Imported Fire Ants including containerised plants, potting media, soil, organic mulch, turf, hay, straw, agriculture machinery or used containers is prohibited from Queensland unless certified.

Further information

Including details about identification and control, visit:

Link to Qld DPIF RIFA website.

Link to Australian Biosecurity Website – PaDIL.

Download Exotic Pest Alert RIFA PDF (198.4 KB)

Condition 2 - Plant Quarantine Standard