The Department of Agriculture and Food has awarded a tender for baits for the control of wild dogs, foxes and rabbits.
Western Australian-based agricultural distributor 4Farmers has been awarded the tender to manufacture and distribute 1080 oat baits and strychnine, which were previously produced at the department’s Forrestfield Bait Production Unit.
Department executive director of Agricultural Resource Risk Management, John Ruprecht, said the commercialised manufacture of a range of bait products resulted from a public tender process conducted during 2012.
Mr Ruprecht said commercially-produced baits were expected to be available by the end of 2013.
In the interim, bait supplies from the department’s Bait Production Unit would remain on the market along with other bait options.
The Bait Production Unit ceased general production of baits in 2010.
Mr Ruprecht said dried meat baits were part of the tender process. However, there was no commercial interest in manufacturing and marketing them because it was viewed there were suitable alternative products on the market.
“Baiting remains an important component of programs to control pest animal populations by landholders and community groups,” he said.
“The department is continuing to provide support to Recognised Biosecurity Groups and landholders on the strategic control of declared pest species.”
More information about available bait supplies can be provided by retailers of S7 agricultural products.
Further information on the control of declared pest animals in Western Australia is available on the department’s website at agric.wa.gov.au
Media contacts: Jodie Thomson, media liaison +61 (0)8 9368 3937