QUOTE(S) FOR THE DAY

From the news yesterday . .

--------o😊o-------

For those not in the know, parts of rural Australia are suffering a mouse plague so severe that farmers are being ruined ruined (coming on top of drought and COVID consequences).  It has been estimated that the plague is the worst since 1933 and that that there will be an estimated $100m damage bill. It was reported yesterday that mice have now begun cannibalising each other.

________________

Enter People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA):

“These bright, curious animals are just looking for food to survive. They shouldn’t be robbed of that right because of the dangerous notion of human supremacy. In the meantime, we urge farmers and residents to avoid poisoning these animals. This cruel killing method not only subjects innocent mice to unbearably painful deaths, but also poses the risk of spreading bacteria in water when mouse carcasses appear in water tanks. Instead, humane traps allow small animals to be caught gently and released unharmed.”

- Aleesha Naxaxis, PETA spokesperson

________________

Comment by the Prime Minister:

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said it was hard to see “the devastation and heartbreak” recently experienced by NSW farmers.

“It’s just one thing after another … and apart from the comments being very insensitive to the plight of those farmers … it’s pretty dopey.”

________________

Comment by the Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack:

“The real rats in this whole plague are the people who come out with bloody stupid ideas like this. Their thinking around this is reprehensible, when you have farmers struggling. You have these people who have never left the city and wouldn’t know if their backside was on fire, then all of a sudden they’re telling farmers what to do? The only good mouse is a dead mouse.”

________________

Ms Naxaxis responded in an interview that rehoming millions of mice involved logistical problems in catching and releasing the mouse horde.

She argues however that more humane methods should have been rolled out by the government a long time ago.

“Farmers have been crying out for help for months. (Government) inaction months ago has led to this. The situation has gotten so bad that not only farmers are suffering, but mice are suffering.”

She ignores that:

• Last week, the NSW government responded to farmers’ pleas for help with a $50 million relief package that includes rebates and a promise to chemically treat grain to protect against the vermin.

• The government is also seeking urgent approval from the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority for approval to use bromadiolone – a new poison outlawed in Australia that’s guaranteed to kill rodents within 24 hours

--------o😊o-------

.