Overview
- Reports from Western Australia’s Wheatbelt show mouse numbers above plague levels, with some farms citing more than 8,000 mice per hectare.
- Farmer videos and accounts point to large movements into South Australia, and some growers are burning damaged crops or shooting mice to protect paddocks.
- Grain Producers Australia has lodged an emergency request with the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority to allow ZP50, a higher-dose zinc phosphide bait, and the decision is pending.
- CSIRO says the 50-gram-per-kilogram bait killed over 80 percent of mice in most tests, while the current 25-gram product reached that mark far less often.
- Industry leaders warn losses and higher input costs could strip $2–3 billion from grain exports and say overseas buyers may test shipments for bait residues.