Campaign against use of 1080

ANIMAL rights groups have mounted a campaign to ban Australia’s most widely used feral pest poison: 1080.

The Animal Justice Party (AJP) is holding a national 1080 summit in Melbourne this month, with vegan philanthropist Philip Wollen delivering the opening address on the need to ban 1080, the commercial name for sodium fluoroacetate.

The group has concerns about its impact on human health as well as accidental poisoning of native animals and domestic dogs.

Summit convener Andy Meddick said 1080 poisoning was a slow and excruciatingly painful way for any animal to die.

“It’s classified by the World Health Organisation as highly hazardous and, as a result, it has been banned in nearly every country,” Mr Meddick said.

Farmers argue there is no effective alternative to the poison used to control rabbits, foxes, wild pigs and feral dogs in Australia.

While Mr Meddick argued there were alternatives, CSIRO research into using immuno-contraceptive vaccines on horses, a large easily targeted animal, found “use of fertility control as the sole technique for halting population growth is not feasible in Australia”.

Victorian Farmers Federation livestock group president Leonard Vallance said 1080 was not only efficient, it had the least impact on marsupials.

He said no one had come up with effective “noninvasive” sterilisation techniques.