The first commercial
product for the IA CRC - PIGOUT® Feral Pig Bait -
was launched on 31 March 2008.
PIGOUT® is a revolutionary new delivery
system. It means baiting programs can be targeted at feral
pigs – one of Australia’s worst invasive pests, causing
major damage to our economy and environment and spreading
disease.
PIGOUT® is the result of several
years’ collaborative research and development effort by the
CRC and Animal control Technologies Australia (ACTA) in partnership
with many state and territory government agencies concerned about
feral pig management. Meat and Livestock Australia and the
National Feral Animal Control Program of the Bureau of Rural
Sciences (DAFF) provided significant support to the project.
Australia needed a
new weapon against pigs, which cause an estimated $100M damage to
our agriculture industries annually. ”Predation of
newborn stock by pigs is so bad in some grazing areas that sheep
farming has had to be abandoned”, says IA CRC CEO Professor
Tony Peacock.
“Pigs are also
a major disease carrier, spreading leptospirosis, Japanese
encephalitis and swine fever.”
PIGOUT® development was fast-tracked by
the Feral Pig Action Agenda and the need for an alternative to
traditional meat and grain based baiting programs after the
disastrous foot and mouth disease outbreak in the UK.
With Australia's huge population of feral pigs, a new outbreak of
foot and mouth disease could prove incredibly expensive, and was
previously considered impossible to contain or eradicate.
ACTA Managing
Director Professor Linton Staples says
“PIGOUT® gives pest managers the
ability to rapidly knock down pig numbers, as it can be aerially or
ground deployed”.
“Extensive
field-testing in a variety of ecosystems across the country has
ensured that we are delivering a product that is convenient, clean
to handle, relatively fast-acting and capable of substantially
reducing the risk to other species”, he said.
”The trials
showed most PIGOUT® baits are rapidly
consumed. Management strategies such as using bait stations
or retrieving remaining baits in sensitive environments further
reduce any likelihood of non-target impact”, Professor
Staples said.
Australia now has a
tool which can have a real chance of reducing our millions of feral
pigs and the resultant damage to our ecosystems and economy.
PIGOUT® is also being investigated as a
carrier matrix for countries interested in vaccines as a disease
transmission management tool.
A flyer on feral pigs and
PIGOUT® can be viewed or
downloaded <here>.
PIGOUT® is manufactured and distributed
through ACTA. A marketing booklet or sales information can be
obtained by contacting Mr Paul Crock, and R&D information from
Michelle Smith (details at right).
The CRC Project Leader responsible for this project is Dr Steven
Lapidge, Uptake Program.
The CRC is also working on:
- A second-generation feral pig bait containing a new, more
pig-specific active core - HOGGONE®. Trials
beginning soon.
- A freeze-dried rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus product - TAKE
AIM - presently undergoing stability trials under real-time and
accelerated conditions.
- A carbon monoxide pressure fumigator for rabbit warrens -
further trials pending technical modifications.
- more APVMA approved applications for our partner organisation -
Animal Control Technologies Australia - products for the control of
rats and mice - MOUSEOFF® and
RATTOFF® - pen and field trials underway.
- the registration for sale of a cane toad control product -
HOPSTOP - developed by our partner Pestat Pty Ltd. - a second
round of field trials to commence shortly, followed by submission
of registration package.
Details will be updated once more products come
on-line. Further enquiries on our research and
development to our Commercialisation Manager:
Dr Simon Humphrys
Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre
Oxford House 48 Oxford Terrace
UNLEY SA 5601
Phone: +61 8 8357 1222
For sales/other information - see links at right.
