[Ballarat Courier, Tue 13 2010, p. 5] HARDWARE retailer Bunnings has been fined $15,000 withont conviction after it was caught selling a noxious weed in its Victorian stores. Bunnings and four suppliers - Ball Australia, Oasis Horticulture, Summerhill Nurseries and Regal Blooms - all pleaded guilty in the Melbourn Magistrates' Court to charges of selling the weed, Mexican feather grass.
The offences took place between January and May 2008. The grass is a state prohibited wee, the highest category for noxious weeds under Victoria’s Catchment and Land Protection Act.
As part of an out-ofcourt settlement with the department [DPI], Bunnings has agreed to pay $50,000 in compensation and has committed to introducing measures to ensure it never again sells noxious weeds.
Agriculture Miuister Joe Helper said the prosecutions were a warning to the garden and nursery industry.
"This prosecution is a timely reminder of the risks associated with the importation and distribution of non-native horticultural plants," Mr Helper said.
Anyone who may have bought the weed, which may have been labelled Stipa capillata or Stipa lessingiana, should phone 136 186. A spokeswoman for Bunnings could not immediately be contracted.
A spokeswoman for Bunnings could not immediately be contacted.