The Feds say: Losing the war on weeds

Velvetleaf is one of the latest weed problems cropping up.

When Captain Cook arrived in New Zealand in 1769 he sailed into what he named the Bay of Plenty recording in his log the diversity and abundance of what he saw before him.

One category of plants that certainly thrives in the Bay of Plenty is a multitude of weeds. I doubt there are many weeds growing in New Zealand that don't feature and thrive in this climate.

The alarming fact is the majority of these weeds are not native to New Zealand. Many came with the early settlers who had the intention of using them in the manner they were used in their country of origin.

As time has passed increasing numbers of weeds have been introduced, many unknowingly while others were carried amongst deliberately imported crop seed.

In recent years we have seen the appearance of numerous weed species that are more invasive and unpalatable to stock like black needle grass, bristle grass and lately velvetleaf.

Often with grass weeds they are undetectable to the untrained eye until they produce a seed head at which stage it is too late.

Couple this with the possibility of the paddock being harvested and now the seed is on its way to a new home.

One of the most important measures that can be observed for reducing the spread of existing weeds is cleaning of machinery. Sadly many people are lax in this area and until we address this issue weeds will continue to be spread from one site to another.

Once a weed is established it is extremely hard to eradicate hence the importance of strong biosecurity measures to avoid initial importation and vigilance to detect any infestations.

As the world becomes a closer global market the risks increase, imports from anywhere in the world are a reality and the numbers of individuals travelling grows also.

We are all potential carriers of weed seed on returning if we don't clean our belongings properly and declare our movements to border security honestly.

We need to get more aggressive on our whole approach to weeds.