Mice plague could be thwarted by heavy rain in parts of the state

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CSIRO lead mouse researcher Steve Henry said if burrows were flooded it would wipe out a whole generation of mice.

"We have been hearing from people in northern NSW who have had more than 100 millimetres of rain and in some cases they're sitting at soil saturation, so we could be right at the point now where those burrows are starting to flood," Mr Henry said.

"But until we can out there to look we just don't know."

Mr Henry, who is taking part in talks on mice control around NSW next week, said a lot of the mice's food supply would also be taken out by rain because it would either germinate or disintegrate.

Mice have already destroyed tonnes of hay stacks and grain stored on-farm, along with summer crops like sorghum, but now attention has anxiously turned to the upcoming winter crop sowing.

It's a situation which has garnered attention across the world, with a photo of 500 plus mice caught by Dubbo resident Bradley Wilshire going viral this week (at the top of the story).

Mr Wilshire said he didn't think twice about agreeing for his mate to share the photo to Facebook, but since then he has had everyone from The Land to the BBC calling up for a chat.

Mr Wilshire said he caught the estimated 500 mice last Thursday night, after a heavy down-pour, using 12 bucket traps that he had designed with his neighbours.

Since the photo went viral he has done an explanatory video on how to make the bucket traps and on Tuesday it had more than 300 shares.

"Hopefully the video will help elderly or disadvantaged people, offer them some sort of affordable rodent control," he said.

He said they had had mice before but nothing like what they were currently experiencing. "There's a shelf in my shed and if you look at it at night they'll be 200 mice looking back at you."

Meanwhile, calls for the NSW government to offer financial assistance to farmers have so far gone unanswered.

On Thursday Barwon MP and Shooters, Fishers, Farmers member Roy Butler moved a Notice of Motion to parliament on the issue, confirming he will ask Lower House members to call on the government to immediately subsidise the cost of baiting. It followed NSW Farmers' statement that they were seeking urgent action from the government, with the group suggesting financial support be offered through a small grants program or rebates.

In response a statement from NSW Agricultural Minister Adam Marshall said both the Department of Primary Industries and Local Land Services were providing information and assistance to landholders about how to control mice on farms.

"Most farmers incorporate mice control via in-crop baiting with commercial mice baits as part of their management strategies. Mouseoff is readily available in commercial quantities from rural supply stores," they stated.

"DPI is working with the Commonwealth Government to ensure there is no supply chain issues."

NSW Farmers Coonamble branch president Barbara Deans said with bait costing around $6 to $12 a hectare, any financial support would be very appreciated.

"It's a plague and if people don't bait and the rain's not heavy enough to knock them around, we're not going to get a winter crop," she said.

"They should also back-date any support because we've done a lot of the hard yards."

Last week NSW Farmers said they were also requesting that an emergency use permit be issued for zinc phosphide to treat seed.

"This will allow farmers to have their own grain professionally treated, removing the biosecurity risks posed by using foreign seed," NSW Farmers president James Jackson said.

"It will also reduce the cost of sourcing sterilised or de-vitalised grain..."

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) said they had already approved an emergency use permit for zinc phosphide from Cotton Australia to assist with the mice plague, and they are currently processing a further three permits including one received from the NSW DPI on March 22.

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