EMERGENCY insecticide permits have been issued for control of the fall armyworm.
The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) has issued a number of permits for popular insecticides for use to control the exotic pest fall armyworm.
Fall armyworm entered Australia earlier in the year with the first sightings in far north Queensland.
It has pushed as far south as Bundaberg and is now considered ineradicable.
The worm, a native to the Americas, is a pest of many species, but in Australia it is of particular concern to corn while sorghum and horticultural crops are also potential targets.
However, while the news the pest is here to stay is bad, the industry has a clear message to growers that it will be possible to control.
A number of insecticides are still effective in treating the pest should it build up to economically damaging levels.
CropLife Australia chief executive Matthew Cossey applauded the APVMA for issuing the emergency permits.
"The APVMA has responded by approving a number of emergency permits for farmers to utilise should they encounter fall armyworm on their crops," Mr Cossey said.
The fall armyworm was first detected in the Torres Strait Islands in January and on the Australian mainland in February 2020.
It has now been detected in the Northern Territory and Western Australia and it is expected the pest will continue to spread quickly.