Pest animal and Weed Management Survey: National landholder survey results

Overview \r\n Established pests and weeds represent a high ongoing cost to Australian agriculture. The Australian Government has invested $50 million through the Australian Competitiveness White Paper to improve the way pest animals and weeds are managed and to increase the capacity of farmers to deal with these threats. This is through investment in projects that: develop new and improved control tools and technologies; improve land manager awareness and access to control tools and technologies; improve land manager knowledge of best practice pest animal and weed management; and increase land manager and community participation in pest animal and weed management activities. \r\n\r\n To enable the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources to evaluate outcomes of this investment, baseline data is required to provide a national overview of the status and management of established pest animals and weeds. Currently, there is insufficient data available to establish the baseline. Therefore a national survey of agricultural land managers was undertaken to collect data on pest animal and weed status, impacts and management actions at the property and local area levels. \r\n\r\n This report presents the results of responses from 6470 agricultural land managers, representing broadacre, dairy, horticulture and other livestock industries across all natural resource management regions in Australia. \r\n\r\n Key Issues \r\n Nearly 80 per cent of respondents were actively managing a pest animal, and 85 per cent were actively managing weeds on their property in the last 12 months. \r\n\r\n Shooting and ground baiting continue to be widely used tools for vertebrate pest management. Herbicide is used by 90 per cent of landholders in the management of weeds and reported as effective by the vast majority. \r\n\r\n The majority of respondents reported that pest animal and weed control methods they were using were at least moderately effective. \r\n\r\n Agricultural businesses spend a significant amount on managing pest animals and weeds. An average of $19,620 was spent per agricultural business on undertaking pest animal and weed management activities. This include pest animal and weed management related expenditure on traps, baits, herbicides, pesticides/insecticides, fuel, fencing materials, and labour (including the cost of contractors) on the property in the last 12 months. \r\n• For those managing pest animals they spend an average of $7,023 per year (pest animals including feral, natives, insects and other pests (for example, parasites and mites)). \r\n• Agricultural businesses spend an average of $17,917 per year on weed management activities, this includes all activities undertaken as part of the businesses’ usual production cycle activities, for example spraying weeds before planting a crop. \r\n Pest animal and weed control activities took an average of 77 person days per agricultural business by owners/operators (including family members) and 39 person days by contractors, employees and other people (for example, volunteers) in the last 12 months. \r\n\r\n Nearly eight per cent of landholders were members of a pest animal or weed management group. The majority of the groups had developed a plan for coordinating management activities or collaborating with other stakeholders. \r\n\r\n A majority of land managers reported: new and improved control methods; access to information on control options and methods; more management activities by other land managers (private and public); and better access to biological controls as important actions that could improve pest animal and weed management.

概述
已定殖的有害生物与杂草长期给澳大利亚农牧业造成高额成本。澳大利亚政府通过《澳大利亚竞争力白皮书（Australian Competitiveness White Paper）》投入5000万澳元，用以改进有害动物与杂草的管理方式，并提升农户应对此类威胁的能力。本次投资将通过以下项目落地：研发新型及改良型防控工具与技术；提升土地管理者对防控工具与技术的认知度及可及性；增强土地管理者关于有害动物与杂草最佳管理实践的专业知识；提升土地管理者与社区参与有害动物及杂草防控活动的积极性。

为助力澳大利亚农业与水资源部（Department of Agriculture and Water Resources）评估此项投资的实施成效，需获取基准数据以全面呈现全国范围内已定殖有害动物与杂草的现状及管理情况。当前可用数据不足以建立该基准。因此，项目组开展了针对农业土地管理者的全国性调查，以收集地块及区域层面的有害动物与杂草现状、影响及防控措施相关数据。

本报告呈现了6470名农业土地管理者的调研反馈结果，覆盖澳大利亚所有自然资源管理区域的大田农牧业、乳业、园艺业及其他畜牧产业。

核心议题
近80%的受访者在过去12个月内正积极开展有害动物防控工作，85%的受访者则在其地块内开展杂草防控工作。

射杀与地面投饵仍是脊椎动物有害生物防控的常用手段。90%的土地所有者在杂草防控中使用除草剂，且绝大多数使用者认为该手段效果良好。

多数受访者表示，其正在使用的有害动物与杂草防控方法至少具备中等效果。

农牧业企业在有害动物与杂草防控上投入了巨额成本。过去12个月内，每家农牧业企业在有害动物与杂草防控相关活动上的平均投入为19620澳元，涵盖地块内用于防控的陷阱、饵料、除草剂、农药/杀虫剂、燃料、围栏材料及人工（含承包商费用）等相关支出。
• 开展有害动物防控的企业，每年在有害动物防控上的平均投入为7023澳元（有害动物包括外来入侵种、本土有害物种、昆虫及其他有害生物，如寄生虫和螨类）。
• 农牧业企业每年在杂草防控活动上的平均投入为17917澳元，此项投入涵盖企业常规生产周期内开展的所有相关活动，例如作物种植前的杂草喷施工作。
过去12个月内，农牧业企业的所有者/经营者（含家庭成员）平均投入77个人工日用于有害动物与杂草防控活动，承包商、雇员及其他人员（如志愿者）则平均投入39个人工日。

近8%的土地所有者为有害动物或杂草防控团体的成员。此类团体中的多数已制定协调防控活动或与其他利益相关方开展协作的计划。

多数土地管理者认为，以下举措可有效改进有害动物与杂草的管理工作：研发新型及改良型防控方法；获取防控方案与技术相关信息；推动更多土地管理者（包括私营与公共部门）开展防控活动；提升生物防控手段的可及性。