Minister for Agriculture Adam Marshall will lead a statewide forum bringing together key farming, research and industry players to help farmers manage a spring surge in mouse numbers across NSW.
Minister Marshall said the Farming Forum on Mice would coordinate an industry-wide counter offensive against the spring mice surge.
"The NSW Government has already put $150 million on the table through the mice support package but we know this threat is coming and it will take an industry-wide response to minimise its impact this harvest," Mr Marshall said.
"This forum is about bringing key government, industry and manufacturing representatives together ahead of what will be a spring surge in mouse numbers to ensure everything that can be done to tackle this problem is done.
"We will bring together scientists and experts from the CSIRO, NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) and Local Land Services (LLS) along with industry bodies such as Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), Grain Producers Australia (GPA), and NSW Farmers.
"We need government, researchers, industry and bait manufacturers all on the same page and lined up behind our farmers. This forum will ensure we are working together to do absolutely everything possible to keep these vermin out of our crops."
The forum will discuss current assistance measures available to farmers, the latest mouse population forecasts, mouse control and management advice, zinc phosphide supply, mouse bait availability and supply, followed by a Q&A.
"This harvest is a crucial step in the continued recovery of our ag sector from the lingering impacts of drought, floods, bushfires and COVID-19, and I am committed to ensuring every farmer in NSW has access to the right information and tools to protect their crops this season," Mr Marshall said.
The one-hour forum will be held via Zoom at 3pm on Tuesday, 21 September 2021 and is open to the public. To register, please visit: www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/mice
