SOME infestations of blackberries in Moyne Shire are so bad they are proving too expensive to tackle.
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A group of Naringal East landowners approached the council about blackberry bushes along Baileys Road, asking for the shire to dedicate part of its weed and pest control budget to the problem.
But the severity of the infestation is so bad in that area it has been declared a zone of “definitely no action” by council officers.
The zone is bordered by the Cobden-Warrnambool Road, Ayresford Road, Whiskey Creek Road and the Great Ocean Road.
“The level of infestation within this zone is considered severe with virtually fence-to-fence blackberry along numerous road reserves that are typically 30-40 metres wide,” a report to council stated.
Moyne Shire allocates $123,347 to weed control each year, with roughly $35,000 dedicated to blackberries across the whole municipality.
Tackling the 3.4km-long infestation in Baileys Road would cost about $15,000, according to council estimates.
The shire estimates it would require $400,000 each year to effectively control weeds on municipal roads.
The shire’s sustainable development director Oliver Moles said the council was “sympathetic” to the Baileys Road farmers’ request to help tackle blackberry infestations in the area “but we just don’t have the money”.
“(Officers) concluded the best way to tackle that area is contain it to that area to not allow it to continue to grow as there are not sufficient funds to obliterate the blackberry in that area,” Mr Moles said.
“There is a lot of native vegetation mixed in among the blackberry so to adequately clear it would require a lot of hand work as opposed to broad spraying.”
At a previous Moyne Shire meeting, Cr Jill Parker said the weed control budget made it difficult to be “environmentally responsible”.
“The council is not happy about not being able to do more to help these people out (but funding) is allocated where it will have the greatest effect,” Cr Parker said.