Page 6 - National Poultry Newspaper

Mice on the march throughout NSW
Under the microscope: Australia’s efforts to curb antimicrobial resistance
THE Australian Gov- ernment has published the final progress re- port for Australia’s first national Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy 2015–2019, detailing efforts to limit the inci- dence of antimicrobial resistance in Australia.
mals, which means that there is a low risk of de- veloping antimicrobial resistance from animals in this country,” Minis- ter Littleproud said.
million fewer prescrip- tions dispensed, which is a really positive de- velopment.
AMR is recognised as one of the most serious health problems facing the world.
“We have introduced regulatory and industry changes to ensure regis- tered animal antimicro- bials that are medically important for human health no longer claim to promote growth in animals.”
“This and other ini- tiatives show there is in- creasing understanding and awareness among doctors and the commu- nity of the importance of only using antibiotics when absolutely neces- sary.”
As bacteria, viruses and fungi continue to develop resistance to ex- isting medications, this presents a greater risk of serious health impacts, as well as affecting food production and the live- lihoods and security of producers.
Minister for Health and Aged Care Greg Hunt said the report identified important AMR initiatives and the collaborative efforts by government and private sector organisations across the One Health sectors of human and animal health, food and the environment.
Minister for the En- vironment Sussan Ley said Australian re- search is adding to our understanding of how antimicrobials enter our environment and accu- mulate over time.
In 2020, the Australi- an Government released the national Antimicro- bial Resistance Strategy 2020 and Beyond, and announced more than $22.5 million over four years in the 2020–21 budget to implement it.
“It’s not just limited to hospital floors, drug-re- sistant bacteria, viruses and fungi can evolve in any environment,” Min- ister Ley said.
Minister for Agricul- ture, Drought and Emer- gency Management Da- vid Littleproud said that globally the use of anti- biotics in livestock had been recognised as a potential source for an- timicrobial resistance.
“These combined ef- forts aim to minimise the emergence and spread of drug-resistant organisms in Australia, and the region will en- sure antimicrobial med- icines continue to be ef- fective and available to treat infections into the future,” Minister Hunt said.
“Our new national AMR strategy will be supported with initia- tives including devel- oping a One Health surveillance system, a national antimicrobial resistance research and development agenda and a national moni- toring and evaluation framework.”
“Australia is a world leader in minimising the use of antibiotics in food-producing ani-
“We have seen anti- biotic dispensing rates for Australians stead- ily decrease, down ap- proximately 13 percent since a peak in 2015, equating to around two
Minister Ley is a member of the One Health Global Leaders Group on Antimicrobial Resistance.
For more information, visit amr.gov.au
AS mice numbers have increased in parts of the western region and soared in pockets throughout NSW, it is important landholders conduct thorough checks of paddocks, as well as sheds and machinery, for signs of mice activity.
It is believed current farming systems – no-till, stubble retention – could be contributing to mice becoming an annual rath- er than cyclical problem.
ing mouse ecology, biol- ogy and management, increasing surveillance and mouse feeding prefer- ences.
phosphide bait – accord- ing to the label, at the prescribed rate of 1kg/ha
Until recently, explo- sions in mouse popula- tions in grain-growing areas were often followed by population crashes and consecutive years of little activity and damage.
In response to the in- creasing prevalence of mice in many key grain- growing regions of Aus- tralia, the GRDC has injected a further $4.1 million into mouse con- trol research, development and extension initiatives.
In addition to the new investments, the GRDC will continue to support a wide range of other on- going mouse-related re- search, development and extension initiatives.
• Timing is critical – de- lays of 4-5 days in bait- ing after seeding can give mice time to find crop seed and high populations can cause up to 5 percent damage each night
However, mice now ap- pear to have become a more persistent problem, with base populations car- rying over from one year to the next, particularly in parts of the southern and northern cropping re- gions.
The three key invest- ments to be led by CSIRO will focus on understand-
If mice are becoming an increasing problem in your area, the GRDC and CSIRO have the latest ad- vice and information to help manage the issue. Five quick tips for mouse control
• Monitor and check paddocks regularly, and update local data using the MouseAlert website – feralscan.org.au/ mousealert/
The Grains Research and Development Cor- poration recognises the enormity of the mouse problem and the severe impact it has on business- es, families, communities and the broader industry.
The GRDC is commit- ted to exploring all op- tions in an effort to pro- vide growers with better mouse control solutions.
• Apply bait at seed- ing or within 24 hours – while seed is still cov- ered by soil increasing the likelihood of mice taking the bait prior to finding the seed, and re- bait through the season as needed
• Apply broad scale zinc
• After harvest and pri- or to sowing, minimise sources of food and shel- ter, and control weeds and volunteer crops along fence lines, clean up re- sidual grain by grazing or rolling stubbles.
Mice numbers have soared in pockets throughout NSW.
auFor further information, visit grdc.com.au
While currently no per- mit allows Local Land Services to produce a baited product for mice control, a wide range of baits are registered for use on mice.
These rodent control products are not restrict- ed and can be purchased from rural supply stores.
The store's agronomist should be able to help you and provide advice on the products they sell.
A complete list of cur- rently registered products is available at apvma.gov.
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• Hydraulic tilt tub
• Single operator friendly with remote control
• 25FT swivel conveyor
• Grind a straw bale to 20mm in a minute or less • Built in the US with all parts available and in
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Contact Leigh Byron 0418 425 485 or leigh@valtonfeedingsolutions.com.au
www.valtonfeedingsolutions.com.au
Page 6 – National Poultry Newspaper, April 2021
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