E-Petition

Queensland residents draws to the attention of the House that distributing a broad-spectrum insecticide over large areas of land for the purpose of killing fire ants, without the consent of or notice to the affected landowners, is doing environmental damage, as the insecticides used are not only affecting fire ants but all insects. Wiping out insects will also affect birds and mammals higher up in the food chain. Pyriproxyfen sprayed on nectar sources will affect honeybees, affecting pollination. 

According to the government website four chemicals are used. Of them pyriproxyfen is linked to microcephaly (birth defect) and affects blood and liver. It can bioaccumulate in fish, as it can be stored in fat. Hydramethylnon is toxic to wildlife, is a reproductive toxicant and is a possible human carcinogen. 

The recommendation is to keep poultry away from sprayed areas for 24 hours, yet the half-life of pyriproxyfen, when exposed to sunlight, is 6.8 to 16 days on soil surfaces and 3.7 to 21 days in water. There are no studies on the effect of broad application of insecticide on the environment and on human health. The permit states to wash food crops sprayed before they go to market due to too high levels.

Your petitioners, therefore, request the House to stop indiscriminate spraying for fire ants on a large scale until further studies as to the effect of such spraying on the insect populations and toxin residue in the environment are completed.