Poison bait ‘not threatening key species’

ABC News online, April 24, 2008

A proposal for 1080 poison bait to be listed as a key species-threatening process has been rejected by the New South Wales Scientific Committee.
The poison bait is used widely to control foxes and feral dogs throughout the state.
Committee chairwoman Professor Leslie Hughes says the scientific evidence does not support a ban on the use of 1080.
“There is evidence that non-target organisms like quolls and like native raptors do take the baits and can die,” she said.
“What we ended up concluding, however, was that at a population or species level there was simply not enough evidence to suggest that any species was actually threatened.”
The 1080 poison, which is a white, fluffy, odourless, tasteless compound, is widely used in Australia and New Zealand to control pests.
It was first used in Australia in Tasmania in 1952 to control rabbits.
In January 2008, a national review into 1080 resulted in new labelling for the pest control chemical and restrictions on aerial baiting.
The review was conducted by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority, which regulates 1080 up to the point of sale.
Once sold, the poison is regulated by states and territories.
The authority looked into the effect of 1080 on non-target animals and the environment.
It added warnings and instructions to 1080 labels in the hope of reducing the risk of poisoning non-target animals.
It also set a maximum aerial baiting rate for wild dogs of 10 baits per kilometre.
But the RSPCA criticised the review, saying it ignored the cruelty of 1080 baiting.
The RSPCA said the report falls short of addressing the humaneness of using 1080 on target and non-target animals.
But the authority said that was a broader government policy matter.