Invasive fire ants return to organic farms not treated for 14 months

Key points

• Red imported fire ants have re-infested some organic farms in Queensland that have gone 14 months without treatment. Treatment was suspended in August last year on some export-certified properties in the south-east suppression zone after genetically modified ingredients were found in baits.
• The National Fire Ant Eradication Program says parts of a 1,110-hectare zone spanning the Lockyer Valley, Scenic Rim and Somerset have been re-infested, though the extent is not yet known.
• A permit has been granted for an organic treatment using cinnamaldehyde, with the first shipment awaiting customs clearance at Brisbane port.