AFTER months of western region residents and organisations calling for aid, the state government has announced a multi-million dollar support package to help farmers and rural communities battle the ongoing mice plague.

Local farmers in Coonamble - who have been dealing with the mice since October last year - are concerned the assistance has come too late to provide them with any relief.

On Thursday 13 May, the NSW government announced a $50 million package to provide farmers, households and small businesses with financial support to help them get more baiting.

“We know the financial pressure this mice plague is putting on farmers and household budgets, we have heard the concerns of regional NSW and we are acting on it,” Deputy Premier John Barilaro said.

According to a spokesperson from the Department of Primary Industries, this program will include free grain treatment with Bromadiolone - pending Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) approval - for perimeter application to protect crops; cash rebates for households and small businesses - up to $500 and 1000 respectively - to help cover the cost of baits; a multi-agency advisory committee to provide expert advice to government; and research to fast-track new mouse control research.

“Details about the treated grain program, including locations of treatment stations, are still being finalised,” they said.

“To be eligible to claim a rebate, households must be located in regional NSW (defined as areas outside of Greater Metropolitan Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong).  

“A receipt must be provided to Service NSW to claim a rebate. Customers should keep receipts for mouse bait products purchased on or after Thursday 13 May 2021. Other eligibility is being finalised.”

The package has been welcomed by state member for Barwon Roy Butler, although he said the support has come a lot later than it should.

“The NSW Government waited far too long to make this announcement, some communities in Barwon have been battling mice for over 9 months, whole crops have been destroyed, businesses have lost millions, and people have been bitten while sleeping,” Mr Butler said.

“The Government has sat by and done nothing until now. The public pressure became too great this week, they were forced to act.”

Mr Butler said he would be keeping an eye on the program to make sure it goes far enough.

Farmers in rural NSW have been struggling with overwhelming mice numbers for over half a year. PHOTO COURTESY OF ROB SINCLAIR

Coonamble Shire Mayor Ahmad Karanouh has been campaigning for several months for the government to step in and support rural communities with the mice.

He said he was thrilled to hear about the package, particularly the rebate for households and businesses, and was glad the government was finally listening.

“I don’t know a single business in town that wouldn’t benefit from something like that,” Mayor Karanouh said.

“I was one of the first mayors to jump up and down and speak about this as an issue - at first certain members of government responded saying it would go away. We proved them wrong.”

Mr Karanouh said the issue is not as bad in Coonamble as it used to be and he thought it was going to have a great season.

However, local farmer James Nalder said he has several concerns about the announcement, from lack of understanding about the health risks of using Bromadiolone to lack of clarity about treatment stations, as well as the rebates only serving those recently affected.

“I think theyre just trying to make up for lost time - it’s great to think they’re trying to do something, but I think theyre going off half-cocked,” Mr Nalder said.

“It feels like a flash-in-the-pan announcement where they will make up the details later - it’s hard to take that seriously.”

Mayor Karanouh agreed more detail was needed.

The NSW DPI spokesperson said they expect to commence the mouse bait rebate program within four weeks.