State allocates $4.9m for starling eradication

State Agriculture Minister Kim Chance has announced a two year funding allocation of $4.9 million to control and eradicate European starlings in Western Australia.

The full text of a Ministerial announcement is pasted below

The State Government today committed an additional $4.9 million in this year's State Budget to control and eradicate European starlings in Western Australia.

The funding has been allocated for two years and will be used mainly for surveillance, trapping and netting of the birds in the south coast region.

Agriculture and Food Minister Kim Chance said starlings were a serious pest, which had the potential to cause millions of dollars' worth of damage to agricultural industries and the environment if they became established in WA.

"The State Government is committed to maintaining a high level of biosecurity protection for WA agriculture and the environment," Mr Chance said.

"European starlings can have significant impacts on soft fruit industries, and on the wider community as a result of noise, faecal droppings and the use of buildings as nesting sites."

The Minister said more than 600 of the pest birds had been removed from the south coast region as part of the control program to date.

"About 1,600 inspections have been carried out in the areas of Mason's Bay and Coomalbidgup and operations are currently under way in the Stokes Inlet to Hopetoun region," he said.

"The planned surveillance activities for 2007-08 will cover the central area from Bremer Bay to the South Australian border."

The European starling eradication program is led by the Department of Agriculture and Food, with assistance provided by other Government agencies, including the Department of Environment and Conservation and local communities.

Mr Chance said a Starling Reference Group had also been formed, comprising representatives from agricultural and horticultural industry groups, the grains industry, major farming organisations, the WA Local Government Association, Commonwealth and State Government agencies, the Conservation Council, Regional Natural Resource Management Groups and the Agriculture Protection Board.

"The group will oversee the eradication program and raise awareness among industry and the general public," he said.