Bavara Van der Hoeven, Bobbi Allan, Katrina Shields, and Susan Fell. Photo Jeff Dawson
There’s a quiet but powerful truth behind every wildlife rescue, every conservation win, and every thriving patch of habitat in our region: someone saw something that needed doing, and simply stepped up.
That happened last week when Mullumbimby local Susan Fell spotted second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) for sale in Mullumbimby Mitre 10 hardware store. These are to be declared restricted chemical products from 30 June 2026. The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority have said it is in the public interest for these products to be removed to protect owls and other birds of prey, and domestic animals such as dogs, who suffer poisoning when ingesting an affected rat.
‘Given that these chemicals will be removed by 30 June there’s no need for them to still be circulating within our community and potentially harming more of our precious wildlife. I have some concern that the ban might encourage people to put more of these baits out and its imperative we have some community education around impact and safe disposal,’ says Susan.
Susan reached out to her meditation group for what she calls ‘mindfulness in action’, and to Byron Greens member Mandy Nolan to raise the first $170 to buy the remaining SGAR products at Mitre 10. Mandy met Susan for the first stage of the buyout late last week.
Safe disposal
‘Mitre 10 are a locally-owned hardware store and we understand that they don’t have the purchase power just to dispose of existing stocks. So we asked friends and supporters to fund a buy back. The staff at Mitre 10 were very cooperative,’ said Mandy, ‘they even chipped in!’
The store held back the product to give them a week to raise funds to buy the rest of the stock on Thursday, to be safely disposed of at the Byron Shire Council Resource & Recovery Centre (BSCRRC).
BSCRRC manager, Luke Arnold, confirmed that safe disposal was available in the Byron Shire. SGAR poisons will be held in cages that are lined with plastic and covered so animals can’t infiltrate the contents. The cages are then sent to Tox Free Cleaning.
Byron Bunnings Operations Manager Lauren Beaton said they are working with suppliers to remove SGAR products by 30 June.
The local action led by Susan was simple but powerful – and reflects a broader truth held by Susan that, ‘you don’t need permission to do the right thing. We are grateful to all the people who donated, who gave small amounts to make a big difference.’
‘Protecting wildlife isn’t someone else’s job. It belongs to all of us,’ Mandy concluded.
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