April 19, 2021
Co-ordinated 1080 baiting campaigns will continue to run in the South Burnett for at least the next three years.
The future of the program – which helps control feral dogs and pigs in the region – was thrown into doubt recently after the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) advised the South Burnett Regional Council its stockpile of 1080 concentrate would run out this year.
At last week’s Communities standing committee meeting, Councillors were told it would be necessary to make commercial arrangements with another source when DAF’s supply ran out if it wanted the baiting program to continue.
Councillors were also told the Local Government Assistance Program (LGAP) would provide a one-off lump sum payment to councils to support the transition.
Councillors voted to lodge a submission to the LGAP program for a subsidy that will pay 75 per cent of the estimated cost of purchasing 1080 concentrate from a commercial supplier for the next three years.
* * *
The South Burnett Regional Council will approach neighbouring Cherbourg, North Burnett and Gympie Regional Councils to share the cost of employing a full-time Regional Pest Co-ordinator.
The co-ordinator’s job would be to help landholders establish feral pest management groups and to run awareness workshops on feral pest management techniques.
If the other councils agree, the four Councils will seek a grant from Round 6 of the State Government’s Queensland Feral Pest Initiative program to jointly hire a qualified person for the new position on a 36-month contract.
Round 6 – which is currently open for applications – covers all Queensland councils, providing funding opportunities to councils that were previously ineligible.
