Nhill firefighters ask for permits to burn roadsides against snails

Wyndham Vale Fire Brigade captain and farmer Steve Pilgrim said farmers had approached their local council, Hindmarsh Shire Council, with a submission to consider allowing roadside burning before fire danger period ends.

"It's just another tool in the toolbox," he said.

"We could do it as a fire brigade exercise, just have the local CFA and make sure it doesn't burn the fence or trees."

The Cernuella spp, also known as the common white snails or vineyard snails, came to Australia in 1923 and is currently populating in the Wimmera region.

Mr Pilgrim currently uses bait, rolling and planned burns outside of fire danger periods to help control the population.

In 2023, the Hindmarsh shire fire restrictions ended on April 11, about two weeks before farmers traditionally begin their sowing programs.

The current fire danger period started on November 6.

Mr Pilgrim first called on the state government to list the species as an invasive pest, which would allow them to exercise roadside burning, but has been unsuccessful.

He said the exercise was simple and regularly carried out by the local fire brigades.

Mr Pilgrim said he believed adding burning to their list of control methods would help bring the snail population down to more manageable levels.

"It's like ryegrass in crops - it's a numbers game," he said.

"We'd pick our worst spots out and go around and do those patches.

"The more times you can hit it, the less numbers there are in snails, you just have to hit them with everything you've got."

Mr Pilgrim had spent $12,000 about three years ago to have his grain cleaned after the species was found in his sample.

He said he had found the snails, which prefer limestone soils due to the calcium content, in high numbers next to his paddocks backing onto limestone roads.

The Hindmarsh Shire Council used limestone for its roads as part of a flood recovery more than 10 years ago.

Hindmarsh Shire Council said the council had received a submission related to the snails as part of the Council Plan 2021-25 Action Plan for 2023-24.

"The submission requested council develop a plan to address the biosecurity risk to agriculture and the environment posed by Italian white snails," the council said in a statement.

"Council understands that white snails are causing issues for farmers in the region, and also has an understanding that white snails are not on the approved list of pest, plants and weeds that can be treated."

The council said it had advocated for changes to the LGV weeds and pests funding, and to the previous Department of Land, Water and Planning regional director on the issue.

"Farmers can still burn their own property to control the snail and weeds, and they can also roll their paddocks to control the snails," the council said.

Mr Pilgrim said the current fire danger period dates caused difficult conditions for farmers to prepare paddocks and remove pests before sowing.

"We've got a short window where they might forcing us to burn on days where we shouldn't be burning," he said.

"We've got to get it done, so we've just got to burn on those days that probably don't suit it, and then it becomes a fire risk.

"We want to do things right and do them safely."

Mr Pilgrim and about 20 other farmers will be visiting the Yorke Peninsula in a few weeks to learn more about the farmers' management of white snails - who have dealt with the snails for decades.

But he said they want to ensure they can control the population before it reaches a similar stage.

"We don't want to get to the point of what the Yorke Peninsula farmers are doing," he said.

"Where they're building rollers to put all their grain through.

"We want to prevent the problem before it reaches the paddocks."