Parts of the Mid West and Great Southern are no longer eligible for ZP-50 mouse bait due to rating downgrades

Grain farmers are being urged to regularly check the mouse activity rating for their area before purchasing or applying ZP-50 rodent bait to their crops.

The warning came after Grain Producers Australia downgraded three regional areas in WA to low mouse activity levels, effectively blocking farmers in those regions from utilising the emergency permit put in place on May 15.

These areas include WA Central, WA Eastern and the WA Sandplain agro-ecological zones which covers parts of the Mid West and Great Southern.

GPA research, development and extension spokesman Andrew Weidemann said the recent changes in eligibility demonstrated why growers needed to regularly check the mouse activity rating for their area throughout the permit period.

“Eligibility can change as mouse activity levels change, so growers should review the latest classifications before purchasing or using ZP-50,” he said.

The latest mouse activity classifications are updated every two weeks through the national mouse monitoring network, which can be accessed on the Grains Research and Development Corporation’s website.

Mouse activity ratings are informed by fortnightly monitoring across all agroecological zones in multiple locations. It includes mouse burrow counts and chew card assessments.

Monitoring results determine whether a zone is classified as having a low, moderate or high mouse activity, which determines whether growers in that zone are eligible to purchase or use the stronger bait under the permit.

Only zones classified as having moderate or high mouse activity are eligible.

Mr Weidemann said access to ZP-50 was designed to be flexible in areas of need if mouse activity were to expand and affect other grain producing areas around the country.

Growers are encouraged to make contact and inform activity, particularly in areas of emerging mouse activity or where ongoing activity exceeds indicated levels.

Growers are also required to provide information on where baiting occurred as part of the reporting process and the permit’s compliance framework.