SNAIL PLAGUES

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (15:07): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries questions about snail plagues in South Australia.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS: On 1 June this year Professor Gavin Ash from Charles Sturt University commented to ABC rural radio that, as temperatures start to drop and more moisture hits the ground, the snail population in rural and regional South Australia starts to grow. He said:

There's been some work that's shown that there is a very high correlation with how much rainfall that we get in the break months to the number of snails that we're likely to see in spring, so it's looking like it'll be a big year for snails...

This is concerning to a number of farmers who are already combating the damage inflicted on their crops by rising numbers of snails. Warooka farmer Graham Hayes advised ABC News on 7 May this year that some farmers in the southern Yorke Peninsula region have given up fighting the damage caused by snails and put their properties up for sale. He stated:

There are thousands of acres of property down here that is for sale currently and has been for two or three years. I have been around long enough to know that the land that's for sale, a significant reason is because of the snails. They (farmers) can't produce enough off that land without a huge cost and so it's all too hard.

It is also alarming to see that this issue is affecting other states, including Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria. Dr Geoff Baker from the CSIRO also commented to ABC News on 7 May that this widespread issue is causing havoc for farmers as snails are getting caught in harvesting equipment, ruining machinery and contaminating harvests.

Earlier this year, in the company of the member for Flinders, Mr Treloar, I visited some of the most westerly farming properties in South Australia, in the Coorabie/Nundroo region, to see the efforts that people there were making to cable their stubbles to smash the snails up as the only effective way of combating them. In the past many farmers would have burnt their stubbles, which is a more effective way of getting rid of snails, but these days responsible farmers avoid burning stubbles for obvious reasons. It is not the best farming practice; however, in some cases it is the only way to rid their stubbles of these terrible pests.

There is some other relief on the horizon. Trials funded by the Grains Research and Development Corporation have had some success with a snail-eating nematode. This nematode is a parasite native to Australia and, when put amongst the snails, can eat the molluscs from the inside out. Although initial trials did not produce a high enough kill rate to be widely deployed, Yorke Peninsula agronomist consultant Bill Long said that more recent results were promising. My questions to the minister are:

1. What government funding is available to help farmers combat snail plagues in South Australia?

2. What research has SARDI undertaken and what, if any, actions has PIRSA engaged in to help in the fight against snail plagues in this state?

3. Will the minister and her department consider supporting the GRDC-funded snail-eating nematode program through investment, to assist farmers who have been affected by snail plagues?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Tourism, Minister for the Status of Women) (15:11): I thank the honourable member for his important questions. Indeed, our primary industries sector certainly has to face many challenges. It is not so long ago that we were faced with one of the severest droughts on record, and following that there were some areas throughout South Australia and around Australia that suffered significant flooding. I think we then had a locust plague, then a mouse plague, and now we have problems with snails in some areas.

It is a very challenging sector that is at risk from many environmental challenges, not just the weather, although these outbreaks are often weather or condition related. They are opportunistic and flourish during particular climate or weather patterns. So there are many challenges, and the current issue around snails, particularly on Yorke Peninsula, is one I am well aware of. I am advised that there are four species of introduced snails that are common and widespread throughout our agricultural areas and that are considered pests of grain crops in South Australia: two species of white snails and two species of conical, or pointed, snails.

Grain contamination by snails can pose a very serious threat to grain exports. Snails obviously also cause damage to emerging crops and, as the Hon. John Dawkins outlined, can clog up machinery at harvest time, creating significant delays and significant cost imposts as well as loss of profits. Obviously, controlling snail populations is vital if grain contamination and crop damage are to be prevented, and this means monitoring and managing snails regularly throughout the year.

Over the past 20 years there has been an investment of more than $1 million by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and the South Australian Grains Industry Trust into snail research and extension. This work has been undertaken by SARDI and other research and extension providers, so SARDI has very much been involved in some of these activities.

Research has shown that successful snail control requires knowledge of snail behaviour and the type, the size, the number of snails present, and obviously the application of physical and chemical control techniques. There are publications that provide information on snail management that are available for South Australian farmers. I was interested to see the GRDC publication 'Bash 'em, burn 'em, bait 'em' written by SARDI officers and, unfortunately, that is how crude some of the most successful management techniques are at the moment. They are pretty basic.

The declared exotic plant pest green snail that was detected in Victoria for the first time was in the irrigation area near Cobram last year. It is not known to be present in South Australia, so we can be thankful that it is not considered to be a pest here. We continue the work. I am not too sure in terms of the particular activity around the nematode work. I am not exactly sure which parts of the program activity SARDI are directly involved in and which they are not, so I am not too sure if currently we contribute to some of that nematode research. I am certainly happy to look into that and bring back a response. Obviously we are keen to make sure that work in this area continues and hopefully one day we will find a very efficient and effective way of managing this particular pest.