Annual weed program

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Weeds pose a serious threat to local agriculture, local economies and our native plants and animals. Council's Weed and Pest Animal Strategy 2014-2024 describe these challenges and our commitment to reducing the threat of weeds through our annual weed control program.

The program involves the control of weeds on Council-owned or managed roadsides and reserves. Our priorities when allocating our annual weed control budget are:

  • protecting areas with significant or threatened flora and fauna
  • meeting our legal obligations
  • contributing to fire hazard reduction efforts
  • supporting community-led projects and responding to community priorities
  • protecting adjoining sites of high conservation value
  • minimising harbour for pest animals
  • achieving cost efficiencies.

On average, over 500 hectares of roadside is treated as a part of our annual roadside weed program in accordance with the above priorities. We generally prioritise treatment of noxious weeds listed under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994. Chilean needle grass is also considered a priority given the threat this weed poses to conservation and agricultural land. Our priorities for weed control may change as woody weed loads decrease across the shire as a result of effective management.

In some circumstances we treat environmental weeds which are not listed under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 including non-indigenous native species which have the potential to be invasive such as Sallow Wattle and Cootamundra Wattle.

For more information on common weeds across the shire, Macedon Ranges, Mount Alexander, Mitchell Shire, Bendigo and Hepburn councils joined forces to produce a Weeds of Central Victoria Guide.

Agriculture Victoria has more information on identifying and the eradication of State prohibited weeds.

For more information on our weed treatment programs, call the Environment team on (03) 5422 0333 or email environment@mrsc.vic.gov.au

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