[ABC News 25 Nov 2010 by Jackson Vernon] -- Efforts to control the giant rat's tail weed have been strengthened, with Bundaberg council deciding to establish a subsidy scheme for landholders. The scheme will require landholders to lodge a property pest management plan to access up to two drums of herbicide at a 25 per cent discount. Council health and environmental spokeswoman Mary Wilkinson says the weed is highly invasive.
"The seed gets spread whether it gets on wheels or wind or boots or whenever. We just think this is probably a good way. We're trying to encourage the landowners to do this, so this should help them," she said.
She says the aim is to encourage farmers to control the problem.
"What we're going to do is buy 150 of these 20 litre drums and we're offering them a maximum of two per landholder. So we buy it and we sell it at a 25 per cent reduction," she said.