Tell Bourke Shire Council to Stop Poisoning Wildlife.
Bourke Shire Council's contractor places flocoumafen — a potent SGAR — inside buildings across the LGA when rodents are reported. Flocoumafen accumulates in native predators through secondary poisoning regardless of where it is placed. Rodents that consume bait indoors carry the poison into the surrounding environment. Send a direct email to the General Manager asking them to stop.
Flocoumafen in use across remote western NSW — on the banks of the Darling River.
Secondary poisoning of native wildlife
SGARs accumulate in the tissue of poisoned rodents and remain lethal for days. Native predators — powerful owls, wedge-tailed eagles, raptors, quolls, and antechinus — are exposed when they eat affected animals. Research led by Prof. Raylene Cooke and Assoc. Prof. John White at Deakin University has documented SGAR toxins in the livers of native predators across Australia.
Active regulatory review by the APVMA
The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority is currently reviewing SGAR registrations following evidence of widespread non-target harm. Councils continuing to use these products risk being on the wrong side of an emerging regulatory shift.
Effective alternatives already exist
Non-anticoagulant products such as Selontra (colecalciferol) provide effective rodent control with no secondary poisoning risk to native wildlife. Bourke Shire Council can direct its contractor to replace flocoumafen with a wildlife-friendly alternative — a straightforward specification update that requires no compromise to rodent management outcomes.