Tell Mid-Coast Council to Stop Poisoning Wildlife.
Mid-Coast Council uses Fastrac Blox — brodifacoum, one of the most persistent SGARs — in bait stations across its facilities. Brodifacoum accumulates in native predators through secondary poisoning, threatening the koalas, owls, and wildlife of one of NSW's most significant biodiversity regions. Send a direct email to the General Manager asking them to stop.
Brodifacoum in bait stations across the Manning Valley and Barrington Coast — on the doorstep of Barrington Tops National Park.
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. Mid-Coast Council can direct its contractors to replace Fastrac Blox with wildlife-friendly alternatives — a straightforward specification update.