Ophir Road property owner John Spicer believes the influx of foxes and the effects on primary producers were a result of small property owners not going to the trouble to bait.

“Small property owners can’t get 1080 anymore,” he said.

“You’ve got to book in for a course and they’re only on once in a blue moon.”

Property owners must complete a Livestock Health and Pest Authorities (LHPA) course that gives them a licence to access the 1080 toxin for five years, unless they have a AQF3 chemical certificate.

“By the time you’ve done the course you’ve got no chooks left,” Mr Spicer said.

“You used to be able to ring them up and they’d drop the stuff off to you.”

He and his family have noticed an increase in foxes on their Ophir Road property in recent months, following high rainfall producing lush vegetation for vermin.

“Usually only a couple of cubs will survive but the rats and mice have bred up so the survival rate is higher,” he said.

Mr Spicer said Orange City Council should help owners of small properties purchase 1080 bait.

Councillor Reg Kidd agreed councils should take up the issue.

“The urban approach in rural areas makes it harder for people to bait so the fox numbers build up,” he said.

Cr Kidd said the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre (IA CRC) was trialling new fox traps that could be used in the future.

clare.colley@ruralpress.com