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Strategic investment key to Australia’s agricultural future
By Margaret Paton
Record investment announcements mask deeper challenges that call for coordinated national action and sustainable funding models for agricultural success.
praised significant state investments as “important leadership [and] a significant step forward” in ad- dressing what he calls a “multi-billion-dollar bios- ecurity blind spot”. The real test lies not in spending quantum but
Australia faces an agricultural biosecurity crisis ex- tending far beyond state borders. Invasive species cost the national economy $24.5 billion annually, which equates to 1.26 per cent of our gross domes- tic product. The costs of invasive species have in- creased sixfold each decade since the 1970s. When production losses are factored in, farm- ers spend $3.8 billion yearly controlling vertebrate pests and weeds while suffering additional losses of $1.5 billion. NSW Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty says that “historic” investment is a “critical foundation for a strong farming future”. Recent policy discussions, including at the July 2025 NSW Farmers Conference, highlight the ur- gency of coordinated biosecurity responses. Ac- cording to the Invasive Species Council, fire ants are a $2 billion annual threat to agricultural productiv- ity, while the broader invasive species burden has reached $650 billion over the past decade. Jack Gough, CEO of the Invasive Species Council, recently
NSW Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty
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