00:02The Mary River and its creeks snake through the Mary Valley, providing a crucial water supply.
00:08At Amamoor Creek, John Tidy drinks straight from the sauce.
00:12Mmm, beautiful.
00:15This to me is the lifeblood of our community.
00:17But now the farmer's blood is boiling after Gympie Regional Council sprayed chemicals along two sections of the creek to
00:25kill the invasive weed olive hymenacne.
00:27He's one of dozens of irrigators who depend on the water and they're not alone.
00:32The town's supply for Amamoor is, you know, drawing from that creek.
00:37It's terrifying. It's to not know what's going on with something that we rely on.
00:43Tim and Amber Scott are organic beef producers. Their stocks solely drink water pumped from the creek.
00:49We're organic because I don't want to eat food that's been produced with poison. I don't want my kids to
00:54be exposed to it.
00:56Organic farmers must prove they're chemical free to keep costly certifications.
01:01But under the National Organic Standards, it's a big jump from, you know, the council saying, oh, it's fine because
01:06this, this, this.
01:07We've got to spend money on testing, which is about $400 a pop. The minute it's used, we have to
01:11start testing water.
01:13Council insists herbicide was not applied onto or across the creek.
01:18They're being very specific in what they target and the volumes that they use.
01:23But organic growers are worried about toxins leaching into the water.
01:28The council says the weed can have severe environmental impacts and is difficult to control through digging or pulling.
01:34It's encouraging landholders to get in contact to discuss alternative control options.
01:39It's 2026. We have to come up with a better system.
01:43Andacje where they can stay and pull.
01:44Plans are used to cover.
01:44We hope that they are notUpdate.
01:45You
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