Industry Funding Schemes
The Skeleton Weed Program continues to operate under the Biosecurity and Agricultural Management Industry Funding Scheme (Grains) Regulations 2010. Responsibility for approving the funding and operations of the program reside with the Grains, Seeds and Hay Industry Management Committee (Grains IMC) initially appointed by the Minister in June 2010.
The Grains IMC met in April 2016 and approved the programs for the control of skeleton weed and the eradication of three-horned bedstraw on behalf of the WA Grains Industry. The Committee recommended a contribution rate on grains and seed remain the same (as the previous year) at 30 cents per tonne, with 27 cents allocated to the Skeleton Weed Program, and 3 cents to three-horned bedstraw control. The contribution rate of 15 cents per tonne for hay producers with 13.5 cents allocation to the program was also left unchanged.
All contributions to the scheme are collected by purchasers of grain and hay and are paid into a Grains, Seeds and Hay Industry funding Scheme, Declared Pest Control and Compensation Account, which is managed by DPIRD in consultation with the Grains IMC.
Perth metropolitan area
Surveillance in the Perth area was conducted in early December 2016 and February 2017. Winter treatment of the 2015/16 infested sites was undertaken in July 2016 and treatment of 2016/17 sites was undertaken in July 2017.
All managers of infested sites must conduct searching for (and treatment of) skeleton weed at their cost or contract DPIRD to undertake the work on a fee-for-service basis, on behalf of the GSH IMC. The current fee-for-service arrangement remains the preferred option for most Metropolitan area landholders. The fee-for-service charges of “Metro” sites have now been brought into line with the Broad acre Skeleton weed season (October to October).
Those land managers who chose to undertake the management themselves were required to report on their activities and were subject to audits in December and February.
New sites continue to be reported or found and awareness is improving, particularly with local governments. The Program has strong support from the City of Cockburn and City of Wanneroo in particular.
Although new sites have been listed, many of the current sites have significantly reduced plant numbers, and some sites have been removed from the infested list.
Lake Coogee and the Water Corporation sites at Henderson have improved significantly.
Compliance
The vast majority of landholders are compliant and embrace the requirements of the program.
During the 2016/17 season a small group of infested and newly infested properties required some level of compliance with all returning to Approved Program requirements. This was accomplished by discussions generally between local Biosecurity Officers and the Senior Compliance Inspector who advised on how to achieve compliance to alleviate any advancement towards prosecution.