Dogs with a nose for weed pests
Rescue dogs from the SPCA are being trained to sniff out biosecurity threats to pasture.
Tahi, a 2-year-old border colliecross, and 3-year-old mixed breed Nala are the latest weapons against Chilean needle grass in Marlborough.
Seddon farmer Tim Struthers watched the dogs in action last week and said the move should prove a powerful tool in battling the weed.
‘‘We know we have needle grass on our property, but it’s the outlying properties that don’t have it or could get it in the future it will most affect.
‘‘Store properties can’t send stock elsewhere if they have it, so if you’re in a position where you can’t finish stock you’ll be between a rock and a hard place,’’ Struthers said.
A member of the Chilean Needle Grass Action Group – landowners working with biosecurity officers to eradicate the pest plants – Struthers said for farmers with high numbers of breeding stock the impact could be huge.
‘‘This whole east coast region is susceptible to needle grass.
‘‘I’ve never seen dogs used like this before. It could be a massive benefit. The guy on the ground can only see so much and the dog can get down a gorge or gully and indicate she’s found something. I see it every day and I still struggle to spot it. These dogs will be an awesome tool to have.’’
Scientist Fiona Thomson and dog handler Marina Paz prepared the dogs for the needle grass demonstration with Geoff Bower, of Kuri dog trainers at Christchurch.
‘‘These are both rescue dogs,’’ Thomson said. ‘‘Younger dogs are better, and they encourage each other in training but would probably work alone eventually.’’
Marlborough District Council biosecurity officer Jim Herdman said the dogs’ work would be hugely beneficial to local farmers.
‘‘The council’s biosecurity officers and local contractors spend hours searching for needle grass. The dogs will be able to sweep larger areas with only a few needle grass plants, preventing the further spread,’’ Herdman said.
‘‘The dogs’ sense of smell and their detection of this invasive weed is incredible.
‘‘We hope the dogs will eventually be able to search and identify needle grass in the months it is almost impossible to locate. This could make control all year long for areas like the Wither Hills Farm Park.’’
He said the dogs would complement the work the council and landowners were doing to develop ‘‘best practice’’ for controlling plant pests on farms and vineyards.
Herdman said needle grass affected about 2500 hectares in Marlborough, dotted across about 200 properties.
The biggest problem was on high country around vineyards, where the land was not earning the high returns shown by intensive horticulture and owners could be less keen to spend money on controlling the pests.
Herdman said research was also underway on using drones to locate needle grass.
Working with dogs and drones were new in the fight against plant biosecurity threats, along with integrated land management techniques.
The three-year research project, managed by NZ Landcare Trust for the Chilean Needle Grass Action Group, had $260,000 from MPI’S Earthquake Recovery Fund, along with $159,000 from the Marlborough District Council, the Marlborough Research Centre and Canterbury and Hawke’s Bay regional councils.
Beef+lamb New Zealand, NZ Wines and farmers were providing $160,000 of in-kind support.
Project leader Annette Litherland, of NZ Landcare Trust, said the project would work with earthquake-affected farmers to help them deal with their biosecurity weed problems and help develop plans to prevent new weeds establishing on their farms.
Working with B+LNZ and Sustainable Winegrowing NZ, the project would also develop protocols for including biosecurity plans into land and environment plans.
Workshops would be held to help farmers develop the plans. Induction systems for visitors to the farm, including contractors, would also be developed in a bid to reduce weed spread through machinery and the like.
During the project farmers would be consulted for their ideas on achieving these goals. Farmers or vineyard owners interested in participating should contact either Annette Litherland from NZ Landcare Trust or their local Chilean Needle Grass Action Group.
"I've never seen dogs used like this before ... I see it every day and I still struggle to spot it. These dogs will be an awesome tool to have." Seddon farmer Tim Struthers