Western Australian farmers now have a new baiting tool for use against foxes and wild dogs with a newly approved method of deploying 1080.

Department of Agriculture and Food research officer Malcolm Kennedy said Canid Pest Ejectors (CPEs) offered a more efficient method of control for some landholders.

“Foxes and wild dogs predate on livestock and can cause significant losses for some agricultural producers,” Dr Kennedy said.

A CPE consists of a small device inserted in the ground with a lure head attached to the top. When triggered by the lure head being pulled firmly upwards, a piston fires, spraying 1080 liquid from the bait capsule directly into the canid’s mouth.

“Advantages of CPEs include greater target specificity than conventional meat baits as deployment of 1080 is conditional on an upwards pulling force which is easily achieved by foxes and wild dogs, but less so by other non-target species,” Dr Kennedy said.

“They are also fixed in place, so they cannot be moved or cached by animals and can be reused repeatedly.

“Another advantage is the 1080 capsules used in CPEs are sealed and protected from the elements so they can be left in place for extended periods, unlike conventional dried meat baits where the 1080 degrades over time.”

Only trained and authorised landholders are able to purchase and lay baits containing 1080.

“To become an approved user of CPE 1080 capsules landholders must undergo or have previously undertaken landholder training for the use of 1080 and must have a valid permit,” Dr Kennedy said.

CPE 1080 capsules will be available from most S7 rural merchandise stores in 3mg and 6mg doses for foxes and wild dogs respectively. The sale of CPE devices, pre-manufactured lure heads and associated hardware (other than the 1080 capsules) is unrestricted.

The department’s restricted chemical permit system has been modified to include CPEs as a product on the application form.

Current 1080 authorised landholders wishing to use CPEs will need to apply for an amendment to their current Restricted Chemical Permit through the department’s RCP process. A permit amendment fee of $38.50 applies.

Further information is available at the department website agric.wa.gov.au/canid-pest-ejectors