Tell Federation Council to Stop Poisoning Wildlife.
Federation Council's contractor uses Ditrac — brodifacoum, one of the most persistent SGARs — for rodent control. Brodifacoum accumulates in native predators through secondary poisoning, threatening the owls, raptors, and wildlife of the Murray River region. Send a direct email to the General Manager asking them to stop.
Brodifacoum in use along the Murray River corridor — one of Australia's most ecologically significant waterways.
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. Federation Council can direct its contractor to replace Ditrac with wildlife-friendly alternatives — a straightforward contract specification update.