Robert Burton-Bradley news.com.au 19 Apr 11;
THE New South Wales Government plans to make it easier for farmers to cull a threatened species of flying fox by halving the time it takes to get a special shooters licence.
The grey-headed flying fox is listed as “vulnerable” under state and federal laws and it currently takes 48 hours for a culling licence to be approved.
Primary Industries Minister Katrina Hodgkinson said the Government plans to reduce this to 24 hours and also fast track approval for the forced relocation of colonies.
“There is no question something must be done to stop the destruction of valuable fruit crops like apples and stone fruit,” Ms Hodgkinson said.
"Where there are no alternatives, licences for the control of flying foxes will continue to be issued.”
She said the Coalition could also call on the Federal Government to re-assess the flying fox’s listing as a vulnerable species under the Threatened Species Conservation Act.
The move breaks a pre-election promise to end the culling within two years. It comes after extensive lobbying by farmers who say the fruit-eating mammals cause hundreds of thousands of dollars in crop losses.
A 2009 independent review commissioned by the former state government found that shooting flying foxes did not protect orchards and was hastening the decline of the species, whose numbers have dropped 30 per cent nationally in the past decade.
They are listed as under threat mainly because of habitat loss. The animals are considered essential to a number of plants that require seed pollination. It is estimated a single flying fox can disperse up to 60,000 seeds a night.
NSW Greens MP and environment spokesperson Cate Faehrmann said the move was another instance of the Government lowering the status of the environment and selling it out to commercial interests.
“I'm extremely worried about what is yet to come," Ms Faehrmann said.
In Sydney, the Royal Botanic Gardens recently won a High Court challenge to evict a colony of up to 22,000 grey-headed flying foxes permanently.
