Thursday, 31 October 2024

Northern Victoria Region

Georgie PURCELL (Northern Victoria) (12:57): (1215) My question is for the Minister for Agriculture. Last week a constituent walked into the dollar store down the road from my electorate office in Woodend and noticed they were still selling glue traps, advertised as killing rats and mice. Believe it or not, using glue to trap animals until they literally die of fear is illegal. It has been since the Animal Justice Party secured it in regulations in 2019, but lack of enforcement is allowing lizards, birds and even possums to continually become trapped in unregulated traps across my electorate. Insect glue traps are still able to be sold as long as they have a cage or barrier to prevent larger animals from becoming stuck, but noncompliant traps without these guards are being purchased and hung in fruit trees, where microbats are dying with alarming frequency. I am told that reports through the appropriate channels are being consistently dismissed. My constituents want to know when the minister will act to ensure that the sale and use of illegal traps in Northern Victoria will have consequence.