Rural communities in the Australian state of New South Wales are battling the mice plague that has hit the region. Thousands of mice attack grain silos, barns and houses, and infect farmers’ huge grain crops. The number of mice increased after the unusually heavy summer rains in eastern Australia following years of drought, experts say.
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In the movies recorded at the Moeris family farm in Gilgandra – a town five hours from Sydney – you can see thousands of mice escaping from under the pipes, through the storage columns and machines. Farmers fear mice will ruin this year’s harvest. Supermarkets store food in sealed containers. – The earth moves at night. Thousands of mice run on it, says Ron Mckay, one of the farmers.
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Owners of a small grocery store in Gulargambone say they catch 400 to 600 mice in a single night. They claim that they spend about six hours cleaning each day to deal with the dirt. Many residents shop at this store every day. Large supermarket chains are more than an hour’s drive away.
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It stinks in the store because mice are dying inside. So people go elsewhere for their groceries, say the owners.
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Local media reports that at least three people were bitten by mice. There has even been one case of a rare mouse disease known as lymphocytic meningitis in the region, reports ABC Australia.
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New South Wales farmers have asked the government to help fight the “drastic increase” in the number of mice. The Farmers’ Association is requesting immediate approval for the use of processing products for their grain.
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The mouse situation is only getting worse, said NSW Farmers president James Jackson
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