Dairy farmers have joined growers and the wider agricultural industry in a call for a speedy solution to combat fall armyworm in oats crops.
According to the Queensland Farmers Federation, the Queensland dairy industry produces over 411 million litres of milk annually and is valued at over $220 million to the state's economy.
At Kenilworth, Qld, dairy farmer Matt Trace who is also a director with Dairy Farmers Australia, said the spread of the invasive pest offered a significant threat to the economic well-being of the industry.
Mr Trace said he is worried FAW would impact his pastures, local growers and their livestock.
"We have two farms which are side-by-side and total 120ha with 250 head," the 43-year-old said.
"It's undulating with river flats on the low country and we have mixed Jersey, Friesian and red cross cows."
Mr Trace said the regular armyworm was "bad enough", so the advent of FAW would be "absolutely devastating."
"We could loose a lot of pasture including kikuyu which is very vulnerable if we get fall armyworm on top the regular armyworm," he said.
"It's been a bad season for us with the regular armyworm.
"Our dairy cows graze on the kikuyu and as I understand it the methods used to combat fall armyworm would involve some pretty nasty pesticides, which a lot of dairy farmers are not keen to use."
Mr Trace said he would be interested to learn if any applications for genetically modified organism oats and cereal crops could be made, so less intensive poisons to eradicate the fall armyworm could be implemented.
"Overseas I understand farmers grow GMO corn and other crops so they don't need to use chemicals to kill pests," he said.
"GMO crops are banned here, but there's plenty of imported food containing GMO in our supermarkets.
"Yet we don't have access to growing crops which don't need any or only need reduced amounts of heavy pesticides, we should be investigating this new technology."
Coalstoun Lakes grain grower Cameron Rackemann who earlier this year lost one 40ha block of sorghum and another 40ha block of French millet to FAW is equally worried.
Mr Rackemann took time out from harvesting the last 40ha of his 250ha Siberian millet crop to express concern over FAW in newly planted oats.
"I planted 12ha of oats a few days ago for my neighbour and 60ha of barely of our own," he said
"Some of our green millet crops still have fall armyworm in their heads.
"Now the oats and barley crops have emerged, all we can really do is watch it, but everyone here is concerned about the pest."
Mr Rackemann said he did not understand how the government had not approved a specialist chemical solution to protect oat crops and predicted desperate growers could take matters into their own hands.
"Normally we would have planted oats and barley and forgot about them," he said.
"Some of the graziers who want to feed off oats are not enamoured with the current of situation of fall armyworm.
"I reckon if the government does not approve something for oats soon, then people might try to spray using other chemicals as a last resort, not knowing it's not registered for that crop.
"Something needs be done if there going be total losses like this, you cant let everything be eaten."
A Dairy Australia spokesperson said the organisation aimed to support the industry against the invasive pest.
"Fall armyworm are known for their ability to devastate crops fast and reproduce several generations in a single season," the spokesperson said.
"Early detection is imperative in choosing an effective course of action to target egg and larval stages of the pest."
Know more or got a news tip? Contact Alison Paterson on 0437 861 082.
