Growers warned on mice baiting amid outbreak this season

With growers stocking up on mice baits this season amid a mouse outbreak, a warning has been issued on the dangers the bait could have on pets.

Number rise: Mice numbers are high in NSW and Queensland at the moment, bait manufacturer Animal Control Technologies’ Linton Staples says. Picture: Brad Newman

WITH a mouse outbreak wreaking havoc across some cropping regions in Australia, a NSW vet clinic is warning of the dangers one mouse bait could pose to pets.

As more growers try to control numbers of mice in crops, particularly in NSW, Jerilderie Vet Clinic’s Stephanie Reardon said the use of zinc phosphide bait Mouse Off this season could prove lethal to pets if large amounts were eaten.

“We have seen zero cases of pets being brought into our clinic as a result of the ingestion of Mouse Off, but we were given the heads up by some farmers that they will have to resort to using it,” Ms Reardon said.

“Once the bait is ingested, it mixes with the stomach acid to make phosphine gas and this is what ultimately kills the animal if enough bait is eaten.”

While the risk to domestic animals was low, Ms Reardon said accidents did happen, such as an animal finding an open barrel or bag of the bait.

“The bait can only be used by farmers with a licence to use a schedule seven poison, so it is highly illegal for it to be used in a residential setting,” she said.

Bait manufacturer Animal Control Technologies’ Linton Staples said Mouse Off would only be dangerous to pets if it was eaten in large quantities, which would happen if animals got into containers when a lid was off.

“(Growers) should be putting one kilogram to the hectare on, and at that rate there shouldn’t be any risk,” Dr Staples said.

And due to favourable conditions creating the perfect storm for a mice plague in summer cropping areas in particular this year, Mouse Off was in full production mode due to its high demand.

“The main demand is for our premium sterilised product,” Dr Staples said.

“There is a risk that there will be slow processing of sterilised grain, and that is our choke point at the moment.”

But he assured growers Mouse Off was in full supply and they had a backlog if there was high demand in Victoria come sowing in April.

“There is not a major panic in Victoria yet, like one we saw in 2011, but it is very bad in NSW and Queensland,” Dr Staples said. “We saw unprecedented demand there for product in December and January.”

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