WEST Australian Agriculture Minister Terry Redman has backed a $1 million war on bushflies in the south-west of the state.
The West Australian reports that Mr Redman said he would ask Tourism Minster Lis Counstable for help in resurrecting a plan to import Mediterranean dung beetles, which remove dung and prevent flies from breeding on farmland during spring.
University of WA entomologist Ian Dadour said it would cost about $500,000 to import spring-active dung beetles from Spain or North Africa and that the program would require $100,000 a year for five years of monitoring.
No money had been available for the research since 1996, despite the fact that previous governments poured $44 million into similar projects and CSIRO scientists had made extensive studies of overseas beetles, The West reports. Mr Redman said he was happy to support the scheme, but that other relevant parties such as Tourism WA should contribute. "I can’t say I’m going to earmark those sorts of funds," he told The West.
