National Carp Control Plan’s new snags

USE of a herpes virus to kill off carp from Australia’s rivers may not be begin until September next year — if the National Carp Control Plan gets approval at all.

And more than $500,000 is being used to cover costs of just two staff members from the federal Environment Department working on the controversial plan.

It comes after The Weekly Times reported last week that those developing a way to safely unleash the koi herpes virus are running out of cash to finish vital research.

The $15 million carp control project has until the end of this year to develop a plan for the controlled release of the virus in a bid to wipe out the fish.

The Government will make the final decision on whether it goes ahead, based on the proposal.

However, the virus won’t be able to be deployed without approval from the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority, which needs to conduct a full assessment of the virus — including public consultation — before it can be used.

An APVMA spokesman said the assessment began in November last year and was scheduled to take 16 to 23 months to complete.

It means the virus could potentially get APVMA approval in February at the earliest, or as late as September next year.

Meanwhile, the Department of Environment and Energy confirmed it was allocated $557,000 to cover the costs of two staff working on the plan for 2½ years, until December this year.

The department’s involvement is limited to working with the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources on a strategic assessment of the plan under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

A department spokesman said two senior EPBC officers were working on this. An agreement between the two departments was signed in January and the terms of reference only agreed to last month.

Another $3.7 million of the $15 million has been put aside to help with implementing the plan if it goes ahead. Those involved in the plan say this cash is needed to finish research.

It is feared an “underdone” plan could be delayed or rejected outright.

A Department of Agriculture spokesman said discussions had been held with the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation about additional funding and time.

“The department is waiting on advice from the FRDC on what it can deliver under the agreement within the current funding allocation and work plan,” a spokesman said. source