Pharmacology, Toxicology and Environmental Health Commons^™

The Accumulation And Run-Down Of Dieldrin In Wethers Grazed On Paddocks Previously Treated With Dieldrin, Tony Albertsen, Roy Casey, Keith Croker

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

In mid 1987, the organochlorines (O/Cs) DDT, dieldrin, heptachlor and chlordane were deregistered for agricultural and horticultural use in Australia. These chemicals had been used widely, and land on several hundred Western Australian farms, particularly where potatoes had been grown, was contaminated with chemical residues. Livestock grazing pastures on such land was also contaminated, and our beef exports were threatened. In 1988, the Western Australian Department of Agriculture started a two-year project to collect information from sheep which were grazed on land that had previously been treated with O/Cs, particularly dieldrin. The levels of O/Cs in body and wool fats …

How Rabbit Poisoning Methods Work, S H. Wheeler

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

While the "rabbit plauges" of the past are a distant memory for most farmers, rabbit numbers must still be controlled in many parts of Western Australia. Rabit control techniques rely heavily on poisoning, which given the right conditions can kill a high percentage of rabbits at risk.

Recent research by the Agricultural Protection Board has been aimed at determining how different poisons, baits and poisoning methods work. By knowing in detail how each method works and what influences its results, we can choose the best control method for a particular place and time, avoid costly failures, and increase the effectiveness …

1080 : A Selective Poison For Pests, D R. King

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Since the 1960s, the control programmes for rabbits and dingoes in Western Australia have relied heavily on the use of sodium monofluoroacetate, more commonly known as compound 1080. Large quantaties are used each year as it is a valuable substance for the control of vertebrate pests.

Once in the animal's body 1080 is converted to fluorocitrate, a poison which is highly toxic to most mammals. Fluorocitrate blocks the Krebs cycle, a fundamental pathway of energy exchange in animals and plants. The animal dies as a result of damage to the heart, or to the brain and central nervous system, or …

Progress In Mastitis Control : A Simple Control Programme That Works, G R. Olney, R. K. Mitchell

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Intensive Department of Agriculture work on the mastitis problem has resulted in development of a simple control programme that works in W.A. dairy herds.

Farmern receive regular advice on their herd mastitis levels, and advice is available on overcoming specific problems.

Cotton Fireweed : Potential Poison : Research Roundup, J Dickson, R. Hill

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Although long known as a potential toxic species because of its content, and although it is widely distribuited in all Australian States, cotton fireweed has not generally been consdidered toxic because it is unpalatable and not usually eaten by stock.

In 1973 cattle deaths occured near Ravensthorpe which led to research into Senecio quadridentatus (cotton fireweed).

The plant must be seen as a potential toxic species in situations where the lack of other feed forces cattle to eat the normally unpalatable cotton fireweed.

Cattle Fertility Not Harmed By Pour-On Insecticides, D J. Barker

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Pour-on insecticides have been a feature of lice and fly control on cattle for many years and in many countries, but it seems that only in Western Australia have they been suspected of lowering fertility.

Frequent reports of this effect have been received by the Department of Agriculture since the first pour-on insecticide was marketed in W.A. in the late 1960's, culminating in the research work reported below.

The work clears pour-ons as a cause of reduced fertility in herds.

Poison Sedge Can Kill Stock, M E. Nairn, T. E. H. Aplin, D. S. Petterson, A. J. Brighton

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

POISON SEDGE was first suspected of being toxic to livestock in Western Australia nearly 80 years ago.

Sudden deaths of sheep grazing areas on which poison sedge grew have been reported from many regions from Geraldton to Scott River.

This article reports a case of poisoning in the field, and the experimental reproduction of poison sedge toxicity in pen-fed sheep.

Poison Plants Of Western Australia : The Toxic Species Of The Genera Gastrolobium And Oxylobium : Prickly Poison And Bullock Poison, T E H Aplin

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

PRICKLY POISON is one of the most widely distributed and one of the most variable of species of the genus Gastrolobium.

Rabbit Increase : A Warning, A R. Tomlinson

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE increase in rabbits which has become apparent in many parts of our agricultural areas is a warning to those who considered the problem solved by myxomatosis that these pests are still present and are quite capable of building up to a major menace again, unless they are continually and effectively controlled.

Poultry : Toxic Factors In Protein Supplements, D F. Hessels

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

The toxic effect of low quality and/or stale protein supplements can be a problem in the poultry industry.

This article describes trials carried out to assess their importance in Western Australia.

Rabbit Fumigation, C D. Gooding

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Not all poisons act by absorption from the alimentary tract or through the skin, the fumigants are a big group of poisons used in pest control which act on the animal after being absorbed through the lungs.

FUMIGATION as it is now used in Western Australia is not always an economical way of treating whole farm properties. It should only be used on its own in areas where it is impossible to use other more permanent methods such as warren destruction.

List Of Registered Stock Foods : 1963-64, H G. Cariss

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

All foods for stock sold in Western Australia are required by the Feeding Stuffs Act, 1928-1951, to be registered annually with the Department of Agriculture.

A list of stock foods which have now been registered with the Department of Agriculture for the current registration year appears here.

Wallaby Control In The Kimberleys, C D. Gooding

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

EXPERIMENTS aimed at controlling sandy wallabies along the Fitzroy River frontage were started in 1952 by officers of the Agriculture Protection Board.

This work was undertaken in response to requests for assistance from some of the station owners and managers between Derby and Fitzroy Crossing.

Vermin Control This Month, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

AS a service to landholders, the Agriculture Protection Board's Vermin Control Section will publish each month a resume of the main work which is applicable to that month and to advise readers where to obtain further detailed information.

Selenium And Sheep Health : A Review Of White Muscle Disease Investigations In W.A, M R. Gardiner

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

SELENIUM, the latest trace element to be investigated in medicine, biology and agriculture, has been found to be essential in the prevention of a wide variety of animal diseases in various parts of the world.

Anticoagulants For The Control Of Rats And Mice, C D. Gooding

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

LATELY there have been many requests for information on suitable poisons to use in baiting rats and mice.

Most enquirers have stated that they "tried a certain brand of bait" and found that the rats only "ate it up and kept coming back for more."

This article on Warfarin—as a rat and mouse poison—is presented to clear up some of the problems of rodent poisoning.

Marker Dyes In Antibiotics, K Needham, N. Ingleton

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

'For some years the presence of penicillin in milk has been a serious problem for the dairy industry.

When cows are treated for mastitis with antibiotics some residue finds its way into the milk.

Unless the milk from treated cows is withheld for at least 72 hours after treatment this residue enters the bulk milk supply.

Vermin Control Research In Western Australia 1952-1962, C D. Gooding

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Ten years ago this month the Agriculture Protection Board of Western Australia began setting up a section within its Vermin Control Branch to tackle some of the scientific aspects of vertebrate pest control.

C. D. Gooding, B.Sc. (Agric), reviews the first 10 years of vermin control research work in Western Australia.

Pickled Wheat Is Safe For Sheep : Feeding Trial, J Craig, H. P. Dwyer

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

FARMERS are often left with a surplus of pickled grain from seed wheat supplies. Many would like to feed this to their stock, but do not do so because they think there may be a risk of poisoning.

This trial was designed to investigate the effects of feeding such grain to sheep.

Chemical Poisoning In Animals. 1. Arsenic, H D. Seddon

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

ARSENIC is poisonous to all animals and to man in quite small amounts and exposure to poisoning is often a result of human carelessness.

It is present in many chemical dips used for control of insect parasites on stock, and in agricultural fruit sprays and weed killers whose relative cheapness makes their use economical.

However, their potential danger and the economic loss they may cause are a disadvantage.

Poisoning Rabbits From The Air, C D. Gooding

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

AERIAL baiting gives spectacular kills of rabbits in country which cannot be effectively treated by conventional means, and has been widely adopted in New Zealand and other States in Australia.

Here Mr. Gooding reports on developments in aerial baiting in Victoria, and suggests practical applications in Western Australia.

Dingo And Fox Baits, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE Vermin Control Section of the Agriculture Protection Board has devised an effective method of preparing poison for impregnating dingo and fox baits. The method is recommended where it is not convenient to use commercial 1/2 grain strychnine tablets.

Control Of The Emu, C D. Gooding, J. L. Long

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Vermin research officers C. D. GOODING and J. L LONG give the latest recommendations for control of the emu, based on a series of observations and poisoning experiments in the northern wheatbelt.

Drugs For Worm Control. 1. Sheep Drenching Trials With Mk 360, M R. Gardiner, J. Craig

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

DRENCHING sheep with drugs designed to eliminate parasites has become an established practice in the higher rainfall districts of Western Australia.

has been tested in many trials, and their is little doubt that drenching sheep clinically affected with worms—the so-called "tactical" drench—is valuable and necessary.

However, there is usually less general acceptance of the value of "strategic" drenching— the prevention of clinical parasitism by giving the drug at certain specific times, pre-determined by a knowledge of the numerical rise and fall of the various parasites within the animal body.

Vermin Symposium Report : Wanted : A New Approach To Rabbit Control, A R. Tomlinson

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE main reason why rabbits have not increased as rapidly as their amazing capabilities might have led people to expect has been a series of years not suitable for full breeding.

This has been more important than myxomatosis and "1080". This was one of the thoughts taken away by those who attended the rabbit control symposium held in Perth recently.

A Grazing Management Trial For The Control Of Lupinosis In Sheep, H G. Neil, C. M. Ralph, A. W. Hogstrom

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

A "WASTING" disease of sheep grazing on lupin stands, usually accompanied by heavy mortality, has become a serious problem in coastal areas between Perth and Geraldton in the past ten years.

An Improved Method Of Utilising Strychine In The Preparation Of Dingo And Fox Baits, L A. Harrison

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

AT present dingo and fox baits are made from fat or other material attractive to the animal to be poisoned, into which is inserted either alkaloid or soluble strychnine.

Lupinosis, H W. Bennetts

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

LUPINOSIS is a disease which has caused severe mortalities in West Australian sheep flocks in recent years, and one which—because of the important role which lupins are playing in light land development—must inevitably continue to be a matter of serious concern.

The Success Of The Rabbit 'Killer' Trials, A R. Tomlinson

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

SUCCESS well beyond what was anticipated has been achieved in a two year trial of a modified version of the rabbit "killer" method.

In the "killer" method, trained officers are employed to kill rabbits instead of to inspect and supervise the activities of farmers and, in fact, these officers do all the actual work of destruction.

This system was advocated by the W.A. Royal Commission which reported on Vermin Control in this State in 1944, and it was used successfully in New Zealand.

These trials were applied only to poisoning and not to overall destruction measures. The main object was …

Galah Poisoning : Kill The "Cocky", John L. Long, F. Vagg

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

NO! Not the one that tills the land, but his enemy, the pink and grey galah (Kakatoe rosei-capilla).

Farmers have usually found the destruction of galahs damaging standing crops and bagged, or stored grain, fairly difficult.

Past methods of boiling grain and adding sweetened substances are rather laborious and require a lot of time.

Now, a quick and relatively simple method is available to farmers, using paraffin oil to adhere poison to the grain.