Sydney freight hub fire ant nest went undetected under three-year lure checks, council warns

The Invasive Species Council is calling for an urgent independent review of Australia's biosecurity surveillance system after a red imported fire ant nest was found at the Enfield Intermodal Logistics Centre in Sydney's inner west. The council says the nest may have been undetected for a year or more — and the site was fully compliant with Commonwealth requirements.

Lures checked once every three years

According to information provided by the Commonwealth and New South Wales governments to the council, lures at the business where the nest was found had not been checked since 2023, and the business was only required to check them every three years. Checking on other parts of the 30-hectare Enfield site had not occurred since January 2026, while the other three businesses operating under Commonwealth approved arrangements at Enfield were only required to check lures every 12 months. Under the current Commonwealth risk-based system, Enfield was rated medium risk, all required checking had occurred, and the site was compliant.

The council's criticism

Invasive Species Council advocacy director Reece Pianta said a three-year checking interval makes no biological sense: a fire ant colony can reach reproductive maturity in around six months, so even a 12-month interval could allow a colony to mature and spread before anyone looks for it, and a missed colony at the first check could go undetected for two years or more. He added that around 80,000 containers leave the 30-hectare site each year, much of the freight coming directly from international arrival points before moving across NSW and interstate, yet the site is only classified as medium risk.

What happens next

The council has written to federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins and Inspector-General of Biosecurity Dr Melissa McEwen, asking for an urgent review of the Enfield incursion, whether previous recommendations have been properly implemented, and whether risk ratings and surveillance requirements at similar intermodal freight terminals around Australia are adequate. The council says it has been advised an internal departmental review of the Enfield site will occur, but argues a limited internal review cannot answer whether the system works nationally. It is also seeking answers on why the public was not told about the incursion until 18 to 19 days after it was confirmed, and why there is no standard public notification process for serious biosecurity detections. The NSW government has imposed a biosecurity control order at Enfield restricting movement of high-risk materials such as soil, turf, mulch and potted plants.