Animals

NSW’s plan to use more potent mouse plague poison could devastate threatened parrots, experts say


The New South Wales government should be blocked from using a more potent poison to deal with the state’s mouse plague after reports emerged of a mass bird death, BirdLife Australia and scientists say.

Experts say the areas where the government wants to distribute the more toxic rodenticide, bromadiolone, overlap the known locations of threatened superb parrots and could devastate the species.

The federal government’s Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority said on Monday it was still assessing the NSW government’s application to use bromadiolone around crops.

Scores of galahs were found dead in Parkes in the central west of NSW late last week, where farmers are desperately trying to control a months-long mouse plague.

The NSW government says it has 10,000 litres of bromadiolone and 20 locations primed to treat grain with the powerful anticoagulant if it gets approval from APVMA.

But conservation group BirdLife Australia has written to the government and the APVMA saying the application should be denied.

Holly Parsons, of BirdLife Australia, said: “Our concern is that a broad scale rollout of this second generation pesticide will be using the poison in a way that’s not currently allowed because of the harm that it can do to wildlife.

“Farmers are suffering and we need to try and use the best tools that we have.”

Galahs are seed-eating parrots and Parsons said it was suspected those found dead in Parkes had eaten grain laced with zinc phosphide that farmers are using to control mice.

The EPA has warned that native wildlife, especially birds, could be affected by zinc phosphide.

The NSW Department of Primary Industries has made two emergency permit applications to the APVMA to use bromadiolone around crops either in bait stations or as a treatment for grain that can be laid in trails.

The poison is restricted in Australia. Conservation scientists say the chemical could have far reaching effects through the food chain, and puts mice-eating animals like snakes and raptors at risk.

The APVMA told the Guardian it has yet to make a decision on the application but is prioritising emergency use permit applications in relation to the mouse plague.

NSW EPA said in a statement it could not confirm if mouse baits were involved in the Galah deaths, “however with the significant and important baiting being done by community members it is possible that birds are taking baits.”

The statement said: “This is why we urge people to follow the instructions on pesticides labels.

“The EPA is investigating a number of reports where animals have been affected by mouse baits. To date there is no evidence that there has been intentional misuse of pesticides.”

The EPA had investigated bird deaths of species including galahs, pigeons and magpies in Forbes, Parkes, Dubbo, Narromine, Condobolin and the Riverina.

The statement added: “Toxicology results have confirmed some of the bird deaths were caused by the chemicals used in mouse baits.”

McLean Cobden, who is researching superb parrots with the Difficult Bird Research Group at Australian National University, said the proposed distribution stations of bromadiolone – in the central west, Riverina and south-west slopes areas – made “almost the perfect map” of where the threatened birds lived.

“That’s a cause for concern and has the potential to be devastating for superb parrots,” he said.

“One of their favourite foods is grain and people do see them on the side of the road feeding on grain spilled from trucks. They also love to feed on grain on the ground much like galahs do.”

Cobden said the birds would be especially active in the upcoming spring breeding season. There was a possibility, he said, the mice would be competing for the same grain as the birds, creating a potential food shortage as they head into breeding season.

The superb parrots use hollows in trees as breeding and nesting sites and are seen in trees along the Murrumbidgee and Murray rivers, as well as in the agricultural landscape where they find trees that remain after clearing.

He said estimates of bird numbers vary, but between 5,000 and 10,000 superb parrots are thought to be left.

Dr Robert Davies, of Edith Cowan University, said experts were already worried about the impact on birds of prey of the current chemicals being used. Those concerns were now extending to seed-eating birds.

Bromadiolone stops the clotting of the blood, leading to internal bleeding and death. Parsons said death after eating could take several days. Other birds that preyed on dying or dead mice could also be at risk.

There have also been reports of Murray cod regurgitating dead mice.

  • The EPA said anyone concerned about an incident of misuse of pesticides should call 131 555. Reports of mass deaths or signs of disease in animals can also be made to Wildlife Health Australia, which runs a hotline for reporting disease outbreaks on 1800 675 888.



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