A new bait is being developed that, unlike 1080, is humane, is not expected to affect marsupials and would have an antidote if farm dogs were accidentally poisoned.

The chemical works on the haemoglobin, making the animal sleepy before it dies, within 40-80 minutes. With 1080, it takes many hours and causes severe thrashing and fits before death.

The North-East Wild Dog Management Group says recent trials of aerial baiting show no evidence that it is effective and recommend that it be stopped. The Minister has agreed. This is great news. They also recommended more research on the effectiveness of 1080.

It’s a shame that an unknown number of non-target species and endangered quolls have probably been poisoned while this costly trial was carried out, more to silence noisy farmers than to achieve any useful outcome.

Last issue we reported that the Victorian Government had changed the rules to allow deadly 1080 poison to be sold from farmers' stores around the state. The purchaser just had to show they'd done a half-day handler's course and they could then buy a truck load. There's to be very little monitoring of where and how it's used after that (whacko, if you're a red-neck loonie!).

The government has agreed to trial the sheep farmers’ ‘solution’ to wild dog attacks, which is to drop poison baits across the forested landscape from the air like hundreds and thousands. However, Environment Minister John Thwaites, is showing sensible caution and trialling dummy baits first to test the uptake by other species.

Since banning cows from the Alpine National Park, the government has been trying to make it up to the farmers. This latest poison bait trial looks like a peace offering.