WITH completion of the Murchison Regional Vermin Cell (MRVC) expected later this year, the fight against wild dogs in the Southern Rangelands is heading for a final showdown, but at a much cheaper poisons cost than first expected.
Meekatharra Rangelands Biosecurity Association (MRBA) chairman for the past 15 years and pastoralist on neighbouring Challa and Windimurra stations between Mt Magnet and Sandstone, Ashley Dowden, has sourced a new supplier of the schedule seven poison sodium fluoroacetate, better known as 1080.
A lack of ready access to "reasonably priced chemicals for dog control" had been a problem in the war being waged on wild dogs in the rangelands, Mr Dowden said last week.
"We've been paying up to $90 a litre (for 1080), when you can get it - you had to order it up to three months before - at other outlets," he said at the 4Farmers chemical distribution outlet in Welshpool after buying his first consignment from there.
"I just paid $54 a litre for the stuff I picked up today."
As a licence holder for schedule seven poisons, Mr Dowden purchases 1080 and strychnine for seven 'doggers' working to eliminate wild dogs from the MRBA's area of responsibility, which stretches from Newman in the north to near Wubin in the south and from near Sandstone in the east to Mullewa in the west.
"It's taken a lot of years to get the strychnine side of things sorted and that's now fine, with good availability and reasonable price and now we're getting the 1080 side of it in order," Mr Dowden said.
"That will be important in helping clean up the dogs inside the MRVC once the cell fence is completed later this year," he said.
"Up until now we haven't been able to stop the dogs coming in (to the pastoral area from deserts to the east), but once the fence is finished that will give us a chance.
"Once we've sealed off the area then we can clear the dogs from inside it."
Mr Dowden, who destocked the last of his sheep on Challa in 2006 because of wild dog predation and now runs cattle but has retained the infrastructure for sheep, said funding had been secured to complete the MRVC.
Contracts had been let and fencing was underway on the final sections - a 55 kilometre stretch near Yalgoo, expected to be finished in June and a 120km length further north which is scheduled to be completed by December, but might be finished as early as August, he said.
Once completed, the MRVC boundary fence will encompass 52 pastoral leases north east of the existing State Barrier Fence.
It has been funded by State and Federal governments, Sandstone, Mt Magnet, Yalgoo and Cue shires and pastoralists.
"The area where we are, between Mt Magnet and Sandstone, is not really cattle country," Mr Dowden said.
"It's much better suited to small stock like sheep and goats.
"In the pastoral area there's a lot of hybrid dogs, crossbreeds of all sorts - mostly big, ugly, angry dogs.
"Out in the bush on your own you're always looking over your shoulder," he said.
Mr Dowden purchases 1080 in a specific concentration so it can be injected directly into meat baits.
"It is a fantastic product, in WA particularly and in our area all - and I mean all - of the native species are immune to 1080 because it's a naturally occurring toxin in the environment," he said.
"It also breaks down readily - sunlight, bacteria and rainwater all break down 1080.
"An average bait that gets put out is nonviable in six to eight weeks.
"The thing most people don't understand is that the dingo is not native to Australia, it's only been here about 3000-3500 years.
"This iconic 'native' animal came in from Indonesia."
Approval from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development is required before 1080 can be used against vermin and it can only be purchased by licenced persons with approval.
