Kate is free to a good farmP3
ASHBURTON
www.guardianonline.co.nz
Wednesday, Sept 25, 2013
Since Sept 27, 1879
Retail $1.40 Home delivered from 95c
Black grass clean-up will be long road BY MICHELLE NELSON MICHELLE.N@THEGUARDIAN.CO.NZ
A large chunk of the district will be the scene of a black grass “biosecurity response with its sleeves rolled up” for several years, Federated Farmers’ David Clark says. Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) officials have now approved an incursion programme, following a spillage of one of Europe’s most invasive arable weeds – black grass – found in a consignment of imported fescue seed. When the contamination was identified, the seed was securely contained and transported to the importers, PGG Wrightson’s, facility in Tinwald. At the end of June it was shipped in unsecured seed boxes to a seed dressing plant on Cainbrae Road, near Methven. About 30kg of the seed, containing an estimated “egg cup” full of black grass seed, blew out en route. Because the shipment of seed from Denmark comprised of several sources, it cannot be ascertained whether the black grass which landed in Mid Canterbury came from spray resistant stock. The incursion response will involve spraying the roadside with selective herbi-
cides at least three times a year combined with an intensive surveillance programme set to last up to five years. “The spraying programme will be a scattergun approach, using chemicals that we hope will get on top of it and blitz it,” Federated Farmers’ Mid Canterbury grain chairperson, Mr Clark, said. “Eight or nine times each year rogueing will be carried out.” This will involve workers digging up the noxious plant. However, Mr Clark said during the sixweek delay in informing farmers, herds of cows had been driven up the contaminated roadsides. “They will have trampled the seed in or carried it into paddocks.” To compound matters soil was stripped off the roadside berm and carted away during road works. Federated Farmers and the Foundation for Arable Research are in the process of formally notifying farmers in the incursion area. Affected farmers will also be asked to audit the movement of livestock and attempts are under way to trace the soil removed. The programme would also have to take in water courses and any shelterbelts or trees in the vicinity.
Record milk payout tipped P3
THE INDEPENDENT VOICE OF MID CANTERBURY
Lip sync extravaganza
About 55 Ashburton College Centre students sang, danced and entertained at the Ashburton Trust Event Centre last night, in the school’s annual lip sync. MORE LIP SYNC PHOTOGRAPHS
P8 Ph 03 307 7900 to subscribe!
Weather: High 10˚ - Overnight 6˚ Page 30
Puzzles: Page 29
Television: Page 31
Family Notices: Page 30
www.guardianonline.co.nz