THE Victorian government has been accused of economic lunacy and ecological madness for promoting a grass its own experts warn is capable of invading millions of hectares.
The Department of Primary Industry promotes tall wheat grass to farmers and water catchment authorities as a hardy perennial stock feed that is salt and drought resistant.
But a 2001 report prepared for the department says the grass, which originates from Turkey, is one of the most invasive on the planet and conservationists say it has already escaped from farms into sensitive wetlands protected for migratory birds under an international treaty.
The department's sustainable landscapes manager, Mark Johnson, defended the program, describing the grass as one of few revegetation options for water-logged areas severely affected by salinity.
Mr Johnson said water catchment authority guidelines prevented the grass being planted anywhere near wetlands protected by international treaties.
If allowed to spread and reach maturity, the grass can form tufts of two-metre tall canes that take over saltmarshes, wetlands, estuaries, coastal cliffs, waterways, grasslands and even woodlands.
A report by the Invasive Species Council of Australian and the Wilderness Society details the environmental risks of invasive pasture plants used for salinity control and highlights tall wheat grass as one of Victoria's worst emerging environmental problems.
One of the report authors, Dr Carol Booth of the Invasive Species Council, describes the government's actions as "ecological madness'' and has urged that the grass be withdrawn from sale. "A 2001 report produced by the government recommended that the invasion of tall wheat grass into Victorian saltmarshes be declared a threatening process and yet the government has continued to promote it and even subsidise its planting,'' Dr Booth said.
''A state government weed risk assessment found that tall wheat grass has the potential to invade 10.4 million hectares across Victoria, but because of its pastoral values for salt-affected areas, the assessors recommended against declaring it a noxious weed. It's economic lunacy.''
The state government last year announced a review of the status of tall wheat grass, but is continuing to promote its ability to turn unproductive land to good use.
"Revegetating these areas helps to prevent salt run-off from impacting on waterways and other important environmental assets,'' Mr Johnson said.
"In this situation it is also one of the few species that has productive value for farmers, as it can be easily digested by livestock and has good protein levels.''
Cundare North farmer Ken Shone dismisses the campaign against the grass, which his cattle have grazed on for 15 years.
''I planted it on a salt-affected area that used to be so bogged down the cattle would sink to their knees in it,'' said Mr Shone. ''It has been really successful for what I wanted to do with it.
''I disagree with them [the Invasive Species Council]. Anything is a weed if it is where you don't want it to be.'' He said the department could control it but was hampered by lack of funds.
The lack of control measures bothers botanist Geoff Carr, one of the report's co-authors. ''It is one of the worst grass weeds in Australia, there is no doubt about that. It can withstand salinity, frost, drought, alkalinity and waterlogging,'' he said.
Geoff Sainty, an environmental consultant and book publisher, has seen tall wheat grass in its natural habitat in central and far-eastern Turkey, thriving at 3000 metres on rocky mountain sides where the water is so alkaline waterplants and edge vegetation cannot survive.
''This bastard has the potential to grow anywhere,'' Mr Sainty said.
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