[Border Mail 20 Nov 2010, p. 56] -- IT’S raining purple across the region as Paterson’s curse has taken advantage of good seasonal conditions. Member for Benalla Bill Sykes has called on the Victorian Department of Primary Industries to take stronger action on the weed. "I think it’s like everything it’s had a wonderful spring," Mr Sykes said. "There’s certainly some hills that are just a sea of purple." "It’s been as bad a season as I can remember in the last decade or more." He said it was the time of year when "patto" usually flowered but farmers were reporting that weeds had adapted to the dry by having a much shorter life cycle.
"What’s coming through this time though is that complaints by farmers are that the DPI is not responding and enforcing an control of Paterson’s curse," Mr Sykes said. "The DPI position is that it’s not one of their priority weeds. "However, in times gone by I’ve had discussions with DPI and they’ve said where there is an area approach where a group of farmers get together and work together to control patto and where they attempt to persuade all the neighbours to co-operate then the DPI will come in and enforce the very small majority that you have to end up enforcing. I’m told that is not happening this year. "
"What I’d like is a clear commitment from the Brumby Government that they will support landholders who adopt a group area approach to weed control for things like patto."
"That support should involve providing information of how best to do it and enforcement for the small number of people who have adopted that area approach need to be enforced. It’s a pretty simple request."
A Victoria Department of Primary Industries spokesman told Country Mail that Paterson’s curse was classified as a regionally controlled weed. He said this meant that landholders must control the weed, however he was unable to say whether the DPI could enforce this or whether the rules were different for public land. "We remind people of their obligation to control the weed" he said.
BY NATASHA SHERWOOD
Article: WeedsNews1328 (permalink) Date: 22 November 2010; 10:00:18 AM AEDT