Rusty sniffs out a troublesome weed
Rusty the dog is busy scoping out a Horowhenua farm to detect a pesky weed introduced accidentally to New Zealand.
He was trained by Southland electrician John Taylor, who thought it would be good for the dog to have a new trick up his sleeve.
The border collie is the only one in the country being used to detect velvetleaf – a fast-spreading weed that takes nutrients from crops.
It was introduced to New Zealand in 2016 through imported fodder beet seed, which is often used as feed for stock.
On Wednesday, Rusty and his handler searched a 4-hectare farm lot and found one velvetleaf plant.
Horizons Regional Council environmental protection officer Noel Procter said the dog could search for velvetleaf that hadn’t flowered yet, whereas staff could only detect it easily once it had flowered.
This was why the council decided to bring in Rusty’s expertise, he said.
It took Taylor about nine months to train Rusty. ‘‘[Velvetleaf] turned up with such a big fuss in Invercargill. It’s a logical use for a dog.’’ Taylor and Rusty are in Horowhenua and Manawatu until Friday to help detect the weed on farms that could be at risk.
Horizons environmental coordinator Craig Davey said velvetleaf could spread fast and the council wanted to nip it in the bud before it spread.
‘‘There could be a couple of plants in year one, 25 in year two and then thousands in year three.’’ Horizons knew of four farms in its region that had velvetleaf.
It could spread through animals and seed dispersal, as well as on a larger scale through flood events, Davey said. The Ministry for Primary Industries provided Taylor with the weed to help train Rusty.
Ministry response manager Dr Catherine Duthie said velvetleaf affected crops by competing for nutrients, space and water.
Farmers who found velvetleaf on their properties should destroy the weed in a deep burial, she said.