GPA says data shows growers want ZP-50 mouse bait

The emergency permit, registered by the chemical regulator, the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) expired in December last year and was not renewed by the APVMA, which instead is considering a push by GPA to make the registration permanent.

GPA research and development spokesperson Andrew Weidemann said the time using ZP-50 (50g/kg, as opposed to the permanently registered 25g/kg) had convinced growers of its merits.

"Now that growers have had the direct and practical experience of using ZP-50 in their own businesses, they continue to request access to this product, as a tool in their tool-kit," he said.

A survey undertaken by Grain Producers South Australia found that mice were a serious problem, with 78 per cent of grain producers having crop yields impacted by mice in the past two years.

64pc of respondents used ZP-50 mouse bait under permit in 2023, with an averaging rating of the effectiveness of the double strength mouse bait at 9 out of 10, compared to 5/10 for the conventional bait.

Mr Weidemann said modelling from GPA suggested the economic benefits of the stronger bait could be as high as $1 billion.

Fellow GPA board member Brendan Taylor said his organisation continued to push for the ongoing use of the double strength bait, saying a lot of work into its efficacy and safety had been conducted.

"This APVMA permit to allow access to ZP-50 mouse bait products didn't suddenly arise unexpectedly out of nowhere three years ago," he said.

"It resulted from long-term collaboration between grain producers, scientific experts and other key industry stakeholders, all working together to try to solve common problems."

Mr Weidemann highlighted ongoing collabarative work from the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and Australia's national science agency, the CSIRO.

He said since 2018, GRDC has invested more than $7.5 million in mouse management RD&E, which has also responded to the increasing mice activity in many key grain-growing regions.

He also highlighted the work of the National Mouse Management Group, formed through work of GPA, GRDC and the SA government.

Formed in 2010, he said the NMMG was another key part of the professional collaboration that's helped to deliver practical tools and support systems or expert advice for growers.

Mr Taylor said the push for permanent registration continued, but urged patience from growers.

"GPA is continuing to work with the APVMA to support their decision-making processes, in the hope that this control option can be re-continued in future, given this permit was not extended beyond 2023."

"Our role in these processes has been to support the proper application of science and regulatory processes to deliver new tools and technologies that support growers to remain profitable and sustainable - it is not to support individual chemical companies to remain profitable."

"It's counter intuitive to our industry good roles - and in fact an insult to anyone else involved in these long-term professional collaborations - to suggest anything else."