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© Brad MarkhamLocust eggs discovered on a property near Parkes in September 2009
There're fears NSW could be facing its worst locust plague since 2004.

Heavy rains have triggered a surge in locust activity. The pest has already ravaged early oat crops in the state's south. Some of the biggest clusters of baby locusts ever seen in NSW have been found in the far-west around Tibooburra.

The state's locust coordinator Simon Oliver is urging all landholders to check their paddocks for the pest.

"We've had good rain across NSW over the past three months," he says. "That's led to strong pasture growth and as a result the locusts have reinvigorated themselves. We're now finding large numbers in most parts of western NSW."

Mr Oliver says the highest densities are being found in the Tibooburra area.

"The Australian Plague Locust Commission is conducting surveillance and control operations. The banding nymphs they're finding on the ground are some of the most dense they've ever seen in NSW.

"If the numbers aren't controlled now, the impacts probably won't be noticed so much this autumn. But they'll certainly be noticed in the spring because they will be hatching out of the ground in probably most parts of western NSW.

"They'll then quickly form into swarms and will devastate crops and pastures.

"If we don't get out and do control, there's the potential to have an outbreak similar to or worse than the one in 2004/05. That was probably one of the biggest we've seen for a number of years."

The biggest clusters of locusts "ever seen at Booligal" have started decimating pasture in the district. Booligal farmer Matthew Ireson says he's spent the past few days spraying large numbers of locusts at his place.

"I've been here all my life and I've never sprayed locusts before. We have had them before, but I've never seen them this bad. They have already eaten 20 to 30 per cent of one paddock. I had destocked due to the situation with the Lachlan River and I'm in the process of bringing some cattle back, but the feed is quickly disappearing.

"Where they've been they're just annihilating the grass. It's changing colour very quickly from lush green to a pale yellow and the ground there is now quite bare."

If you find locust activity on your farm, you're urged to contact your local LHPA.