MPI’s velvetleaf incident controller David Yard said with 206 reported cases nationwide at the last count and some plants having already seeded and with seeds surviving 60 years, it was unlikely the weed could be eradicated.
“We’ve got a long-term problem on our hands.”
Eradication from individual farms or some regions was possible but would take several years of intensive management.
The tactic of intensively searching individual fodder beet crops and destroying any plants was costly but working.
“Every plant we pull out now before it seeds is money well spent.
“If we leave it to seed, individual plants will shed thousands of seeds and we have a real problem.”
The company responsible for importing the contaminated fodder beet seed, DLF Seeds, would not face prosecution because it met all its legal requirements.
“This is important. They have done absolutely nothing wrong,” Yard said.
The company used a nationally recognised seed certifier and met all the import requirements.
The issue was that the weed appeared to have hitched a ride during the pelletisation process, which also prevented it being detected.
Changes have been introduced to ensure future inspection for contaminated seed was done before the seed was pelletised.
Last week Massey weed science lecturer Dr Kerry Harrington said velvetleaf could be controlled with herbicides but paddock rotations should ensure farmers could access it with machinery and use chemicals.
