WEED Eradication Detector Dogs will be deployed across the State in an effort to step up the fight against invasive plants in NSW, Minister for Primary Industries, Katrina Hodgkinson, has announced.
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Dogs are already widely used to sniff out one particular type of noxious plant while others are trained to sniff out the culinary gold of fungi, truffles.
Using them to sniff out noxious weeds is another way in which the Government aims to improve its fight against invasive plant life.
The trained detector dogs will share in more than $1 million in funding that the NSW Government has delivered for a new series of 14 innovative projects to find smarter ways to manage weeds across the State.
“We are stepping up the fight against invasive plants in NSW as they continue to cost the State $1.8 billion in lost agricultural production and control,” Ms Hodgkinson said.
“The two dogs will be trained to seek out orange hawkweed, a highly invasive weed that has been identified for eradication in NSW.
“They will be carefully assessed on their ability to find the smallest weed fragments and to operate in remote and difficult terrains.
“Initial trials in Victoria have demonstrated that dogs can differentiate between a variety of plant species.
“A professional dog trainer will work alongside National Parks and Wildlife Service staff and a team of volunteers as well as partners from Regional Weeds Advisory Groups, Local Land Services and the Department of Primary Industries to roll out this trial.”
The detector dogs are just one of several projects to combat weeds in NSW.
