Pressure grows for fire ant eradication

By signing and sharing the fire ant petition on change.org this year you helped tell thousands of Australians that our country is in danger of being overrun by a silent and deadly invasion of red fire ants. Your voice, along with the secret government report into Australia’s fire ant menace that was released this month, have finally put this issue where it belongs, in the national spotlight. Politicians take notice when a story dominates national media headlines. They take notice when people air their fears and frustrations about lack of action on social media. The huge media coverage fire ants received this month combined with the thousands people who signed our fire ant petition means we are finally being noticed. Thank you! Deputy prime minister, Barnaby Joyce, has now publicly supported the enhanced, ten-year fire ant eradication program, which will cost $380 million. We now need Australia’s state and territory agricultural ministers to come on board when they meet to make their final decision in five months' time. If our governments do nothing we will be forced to adapt to a pest worse than feral cats, foxes, rabbits, cane toads, wild dogs and camels combined. We will be confronted by out-of-control fire ants inflicting severe damage on our agricultural industry, dragging down our economy and driving the extinction of wildlife species. We will also be confronted by human fatalities. We have six months to lock in an enhanced eradication program. Please share the petition again on social media, donate to support our lobbying tour (https://invasives.org.au/national-fire-ant-forums/) and, if you haven't already, sign up to attend a fire ant event in your state (https://invasives.org.au/donate/). These small things will make the difference and continue the momentum of public support for eradication of fire ants. Thank you for signing this petition and your help in keeping up the pressure and momentum. Regards, Andrew Cox Invasive Species Council