The NT government has declared the controversial buffel grass a weed, and while the decision has been welcomed by an environmental group, the pastoralists’ peak body has said there are better ways to manage the grass than by declaring it a weed.

NT Environment Minister Kate Worden said in a statement the recommendation to make the declaration under the Weeds Management Act 2001 was informed by the work of both a technical working group, and the Buffel grass management strategy 2024-2030, as developed by the buffel grass weed advisory committee.

She said there would be a weed management plan produced by the end of the year, and $750,000 had been allocated in the budget, made up of $575,000 for program management, planning and technical services to implement buffel grass management in Central Australia, $50,000 for a fire preparation program in the southern region, $75,000 for a herbicide program in Central Australia with a focus on community groups and local councils, and $50,000 mapping and data analysis.

The NT puts weeds into three classes, those that require eradication, those the governments aims to limit the growth and spread of, and those that must not be introduced into the NT. The ABC reported the government confirmed buffel grass had not as yet been classified, as the options for its management “crossed all classifications”.

The Environment Department website says buffel grasses are native to tropical and sub-tropical Africa, India and Indonesia, and were originally planted for pasture and dust control in central Australia, but now have economic costs because of the need to manage fire risks, and to protect biodiversity and infrastructure

Ms Worden said the government was working to reduce the impact of buffel grass, particularly in areas of cultural and community value.

“I am confident this declaration is in the best interests of the broader community, now and into the future,” Ms Worden said.

“The next steps, including maintaining the committee to inform consultation and provide advice on any future weed management plan and related resourcing needs, I hope provides certainty to all stakeholders and community members that we are invested in managing buffel in a considered manner, on a long-term basis.”

NT Cattlemen’s Association chief executive Will Evans told the ABC his group had been calling for the government to delay its vote on a weed declaration for further clarity and said it had been a “farce of a process”.

“We’ve engaged on this matter in good faith for more than a year now, tried to work constructively to reach an outcome that would benefit everybody,” Mr Evans told NT Country Hour.

“And that’s really been waylaid or sidelined in the interest of political expediency… We’ve been trying to communicate with the government and saying, ‘don’t saddle yourself with an absolute debt burden that will cost millions of dollars,” he said.

The ABC reported that Mr Evans said there were better ways to manage buffel.

The Lands Environment Centre’s Adrian Tomlinson told the ABC buffel grass should have been declared a weed years ago.

“This is a great step for nature, culture, and the many industries that rely on a healthy country. It’s not too late,” he said.

“This is about stopping buffel going along pathways like road and rail corridors. But also it’s about building the capacity and starting where we are.”