Plague

Grain Producers Australia (GPA) has secured a national emergency permit allowing grain growers to access stronger mouse bait as significant mouse numbers plague several states. Australian grain growers have been desperately calling for permits to access stronger mouse bait to tackle the growing problem, with the standard available bait proving inadequate. 

Grain growers are urged to check their paddocks for signs of mice, with reports of activity in SA, WA and parts of northern NSW. CSIRO rodent expert Steve Henry, who is one of the lead researchers on GRDC-supported investment into mouse management, is reminding growers that conditions are ripe for mouse breeding at this time of year.

Caitlin Menadue. Recent reports from farmers during the early stages of seeding have indicated an increase in locust activity across several cropping regions in South Australia, Grain Producers South Australia has warned. GPSA chief executive Brad Perry said producers from Yorke Peninsula, the Riverland, Eyre Peninsula and Flinders Ranges had reported locusts on farms.

The ongoing threat of mouse activity to Australian grain growers is the focus of two key investments aimed at reducing the impact of mice in crops ... While advancements in farming systems have resulted in tremendous benefits, they have also inadvertently contributed to increasing the pest problem.

Farmers are on the lookout for increased mouse activity with reports of increasing damage to crops and fodder across the state. Two years after a mouse plague saw vehicles, buildings and towns infested while crops were destroyed, NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin is urging growers to be extra-vigilant about mouse activity.

Australia is in the grip of an unprecedented alien attack on its native wildlife and environment, with experts warning more of our unique flora and fauna is in danger of disappearing by 2050 unless urgent action is taken.  

NSW Farmers has welcomed the timely proposal for Australia’s first national biosecurity strategy, announced by Agriculture Minister David Littleproud. During November the federal government is letting Australians have their say on biosecurity in the first phase of consultation on the national strategy. The initial consultation survey closes on 26 November 2021.

More than 200 farmers, industry and government representatives have united to chart a way forward against a spring surge in mice activity as the state looks to reap the benefits of a record harvest. Minister for Agriculture Adam Marshall said it was invaluable to have all stakeholders together for the latest updates and to discuss key issues with farmers ... Listen to the recording.

Minister for Agriculture Adam Marshall will lead a statewide forum bringing together key farming, research and industry players to help farmers manage a spring surge in mouse numbers across NSW.

Mice have been a reoccurring theme for Darcy Hare in this year’s canola crop. “This will be our fifth treatment, four from the ground and a fifth from the air,” said Mr Hare. The Hare family have 290 hectares of canola planted and the mice have damaged 60% of their crops reducing yield by an estimated 15-25%.

With bumper crops on the horizon for much of the state, Minister for Agriculture Adam Marshall has today urged landholders to be on the lookout for locust activity this spring and report any sightings immediately.

Warnings about the potential onset of a mouse plague come springtime have further justified the advocacy work of NSW Farmers in securing a $150 million state government support package.

Grain growers in Victoria’s Mallee region are being urged to ‘walk through paddocks’ to check for signs of mouse activity and crop damage and apply bait where necessary to help drive down numbers before spring.

Australia’s leading rural charity, Rural Aid, has closed applications for its $1 million mouse plague fund, with 1000 farmers set to benefit from the support. Rural Aid opened the fund in June for farmers from many parts of the country whose livelihoods and incomes had been affected by the devastating mouse plague.

NSW Farmers is encouraging farmers to apply now for mouse bait rebates of up to $10,000 per farm business through the Rural Assistance Authority website. Applications for the rebate opened today with a total of $95 million available to assist farmers with the costs of Zinc Phosphide baiting programs.

Western Australian grain growers are being urged to "walk through paddocks" to check for mouse activity and crop damage to determine whether they need to start baiting programs this season.

On World Zoonoses Day, Australia’s Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Mark Schipp has highlighted how the risk of zoonoses, diseases which can be transmitted to humans from animals, can be reduced through practising good animal biosecurity and hygiene control procedures. The bacterial disease leptospirosis is an example of a zoonotic disease of worldwide importance. The disease has been reported in over 150 mammalian species around the world, including wildlife, rodents, cattle, pigs, horses, dogs, and people.

Australia’s leading rural charity Rural Aid has today delivered hay to farmers battling the ongoing mouse plague. Two road trains carrying 144 bales of hay arrived in Narromine on Thursday 24 June. Rural Aid CEO John Warlters said most farmers receiving the hay had their stockpiles decimated by mice.

Australia’s leading rural charity, Rural Aid, has announced a $1 million fund to assist mouse plague affected farmers across the country. Rural Aid has today opened applications for a $1000 emergency support payment, to assist affected primary producers with recovery.

The Murrumbidgee valley’s multi-million dollar winter cereal crop has dodged a bullet with minimal mouse damage and recent rain lifting grower’s spirits ... The promising cropping outlook and buoyant land values have resulted in three blue-ribbon corporate holdings in the region hitting the market in the same week.