The Local Land Services have been fined $800 by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) when two dogs died after unintentionally eating wild dog bait.
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In June this year, the EPA received a complaint from a resident of Duramana, NSW, after he suspected his dogs died from eating the bait on a neighbouring property.
While the cause of the death of the dogs was not verified, the EPA investigated the incident and found the LLS had provided a local land owner with wild dog baits and who did not have the necessary qualifications required under pesticides legislation.
As a result, the EPA fined the LLS $800 for permitting another person to commit an offence and issued the land owner with an Official Caution for a breach of the Pesticides Act 1999.
NSW EPA south branch director Gary Whytcross said as a government department the LLS must lead by example and always be fully compliant with pesticides legislation.
"While the baiting incident was conducted in accordance with the pesticides control order for wild dog baiting in that neighbours were notified, Local Land Services flouted proper administrative procedures and supplied the pesticide to the land owner without the qualification required and provided incorrect poison signage," he said.
The EPA is aware of several of similar incidents which have stemmed from a lack of oversight during large scale and individual baiting event.