AN IMPORTANT milestone in mouse management research has been reached, with trial work finding that double strength zinc phosphide baits can achieve four times the efficacy of the current registered bait.
Steve Henry, mouse researcher with CSIRO, said trial work done in the past year had shown marked improvement in efficacy using the double strength bait.
He said the trials were made possible while an emergency permit was in place for the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority, allowing the use of 50 grams a kilo zinc phosphide baits, compared to the official label rate of 25g/kg was in place.
The emergency permit was initially registered with the APVMA by grower representative group Grain Producers Australia in the wake of the devastating mouse plague of 2020-21.
GPA research and development spokesperson Andrew Weidemann said the group was confident the APVMA would renew the emergency permit for 2023, and added GPA would continue to work with CSIRO and the Grains Research and Development Corporation to generate the necessary trial data to push forward to get a permanent registration.
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