SYDNEY, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- A biosecurity response has been activated after authorities detected a nest of invasive red imported fire ants at a major freight facility in Sydney's inner west.
The state government of New South Wales (NSW) said on Tuesday that authorities from the federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry discovered a fire ant nest at a key logistics and warehousing facility for the freight industry located 11 km west of central Sydney.
It said that entomologists confirmed the ants to be red imported fire ants, but that specialist detection dogs located no other nests at the facility or in the immediate vicinity.
Red imported fire ants are considered a major biosecurity threat to Australia. The species was first detected in Australia at the Port of Brisbane in the northeastern state of Queensland in 2001, prompting the federal government to establish the National Fire Ant Eradication Program (NFAEP).
The NSW government said on Tuesday that testing by the NFAEP confirmed that the ants found in Sydney likely originated from overseas via a container rather than Queensland.
The state government said it established an incident management team in response to the detection to undertake surveillance within a 2 km radius of the freight facility, with a priority focus on local businesses that deal in soil, turf, building materials or vegetation.
A report published by independent think tank the Australia Institute in June warned that red imported fire ants could cause significant environmental, social and economic damage if allowed to spread across the country.
It estimated that fire ants would sting 8.3 million people in Australia every year if the species spreads, causing 33 deaths annually from anaphylaxis.
NGO the Invasive Species Council estimates that more than 95 percent of Australia is suitable for fire ants and infestation. ■