Australia commits $15m in bid to eradicate carp using herpes virus

Coalition government announces budget funds for national plan to control Australia's worst freshwater feral pest

Tuesday's federal budget will include funding for a $15m for a national carp control plan in an attempt to eradicate Australia's worst freshwater feral pest, the government announced on Sunday.

The plan includes the staged release of the carp-specific herpes virus in the Murray-Darling basin. CSIRO scientists have been testing the virus in Australian native fish species and other animals found along the river for the past seven years and have established that it is safe to release into the ecosystem without harming other species.