Adam Marshall, NSW Minister for Agriculture, Minister for Western Sydney, Media Release, 30 May 2021

More than 400 farmers have already signed up and registered to receive free bromadiolone to treat grain for perimeter crop baiting to help combat the mice plague affecting parts of regional NSW, Minister for Agriculture Adam Marshall said today.

The NSW Government is still awaiting Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) approval for the use and distribution of the chemical around crops and Mr Marshall said it would work with the Commonwealth body to meet any environmental requirements placed on an approval.

“So much rests on the APVMA approval now, but we haven’t been sitting on our hands while waiting for it,” Mr Marshall said.

“We’ve secured more than 10,000 litres of bromadiolone already, announced and established 20 distribution points across rural NSW and have our qualified staff ready to go as soon as we get the green light from the APVMA.

“This is all in response to pleas from industry, hundreds of whom have now formally made an expression of interest to the NSW Government.

“I’ve been on the ground, I live in the bush and I speak to farmers every day and many are asking for bromadiolone to help fight these vermin and this early enthusiasm shows that.”

Mr Marshall said once approved, bromadiolone will be one of many tools available to farmers.

“Landholders will be able to surround their crops with bromadiolone-treated grain, which when used in combination with zinc phosphide to kill off mice already in paddock, will give farmers a multi-layered defense,” Mr Marshall said.

“We’ll work with the Commonwealth’s APVMA and, once we get the green light, the NSW Government will roll out 20 grain treatment sites in the most affected rural areas in the State so that farmers can get their grain treated free of charge.”

The NSW Government has also announced that eligible primary producers will be able to claim a rebate of up to $1,000.

Mr Marshall said farmers could continue to register for grain treatment online at www.lls.nsw.gov.au/mice or by calling their nearest Local Land Services office.

“This plague is unprecedented. There’s no blueprint, nor no silver bullet, but we’re arming our farmers with free grain treatment and more to help fight the plague,” Mr Marshall said.

“Our sites will be ready to go; we just need approval to use bromadiolone as farmers were able to the last time we faced a mouse plague.”

The free grain treatment is part of the NSW Government’s $50 million support package to manage the impact of mice on regional communities, which also includes bait rebates for households and small businesses, community workshops and targeted pest research.