Delivery of Biological Control Agents for Paterson's Curse

Summary

The profitability of the grazing industries of Australia through lost productivity, control costs, stock management and collateral damage such as stock poisoning and fleece contamination. Similarly horehound and blue heliotrope have a detrimental effect on pasture but on a smaller scale. This project has delivered a suite of biological control agents and evaluated its performance empirically and qualitatively. The grazing industries of Australia are already deriving significant benefits as a result of this project and will continue to do so at an increasing rate as the agents spread and establish naturally and continue to be distributed by farmers. Senator Troeth, the Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, in November 1999 described the project as “an excellent example of government and industry working together for the national good."
The project was a great success with over 4,000 releases of biological control agents against the target weeds across Australia. In addition, the thistle component of the project was cited in an audit of research conducted by CSIRO as an example of a difficult project that, although inherently protracted, had been successfully applied and was having measurable benefits to the grazing industries.
Due to the direct involvement of landholders in the release of agents and the quality of extension materials and presentations, the project also had a high grass-roots profile and approval by wool and meat producers.