Farmers and people living in NSW rural communities are crying out for help to deal with an escalating mice plague that's threatening their health as well as the winter crop.
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NSW Farmers is seeking urgent action from the NSW government as farmers in many parts of regional NSW report a drastic increase in mice populations, which are decimating crops, destroying stored hay and invading silos, sheds and homes.
The rodents are also affecting human health impact, with the NSW Western Area Health Service reporting increased cases of leptospirosis as a result of mice in domestic dwellings.
NSW Farmers president James Jackson said grain growers hold grave concerns about the winter crop planting season, which is due to start within weeks.
"Farmers need some more control options. We are requesting that an Emergency Use Permit be issued for Zinc Phosphide to treat seed," Mr Jackson said.
"This will allow farmers to have their own grain professionally treated, removing the biosecurity risks posed by using foreign seed.
"It will also reduce the cost of sourcing sterilised or de-vitalised grain by farmers using their own treated seed to be sown for winter cropping."
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NSW Farmers is also seeking some financial assistance through a small grants program.
"Mouse control is very costly. The severity of the current plague has resulted in the need for multiple aerial and ground bait applications in cropping regions," Mr Jackson said.
"Potential options we are putting up include a rebate on rodenticide products or a subsidy for ground and aerial baiting. Action is needed now. This mice situation is only getting worse."
Mice damage reports were flooding in from farmers and rural communities from the north, south and central west.
Steve Henry, the CSIRO lead mouse researcher, said they were getting reports of "really high numbers from the Coonamble area."
"But also we're starting to get reports of pretty high numbers from around the Parkes area as well," he said.
"So some of those areas where we've been working in have just gone from sort of high to very high, would be the information that we're getting."
Mr Henry, whose work is funded by the GRDC, reported of the pests devastating some summer crops.
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