Authorised biosecurity and nature conservation officers

Under the Medicines and Poisons Act 2019 (the MPA), local or state government officers who are Authorised Officers under the Biosecurity Act 2014 or the Nature Conservation Act 1992 are approved persons and are authorised to:

• manufacture 'low-risk fluoroacetic acid (1080) baits' (LRFAB)
• possess LRFABs and fluoroacetic acid concentrate used to manufacture LRFABs
• apply LRFABs to control invasive animals
• dispose of waste containing fluoroacetic acid (1080) e.g. disused LRFABs
• supply LRFABs to rural landholders, including their employees or agents.

Under the MPA, restricted S7 (RS7) poisons include fluoroacetic acid and para-aminopropiophenone (PAPP). RS7 poisons are prescribed in schedule 1 of the Medicines and Poisons (Poisons and Prohibited Substances) Regulation 2021 (the Poisons Regulation).

General approval requirements

Authorised Biosecurity Officers and Nature Conservation Officers (authorised officers) will be required to hold a general approval or be employed by an entity (e.g. local government or state government department) with a substance authority (general approval) authorised to buy, possess, apply and dispose of a RS7 poisons for the purposes of invasive animal control. This includes fluoroacetic acid concentrate to make fresh LRFABs.

Authorised officers do not need to apply for a substance authority (general approval) for LRFABs as they are already approved persons under schedule 1 of the Poisons Regulation.

Apply for a general approval

To apply for a general approval, use Poisons general approval forms.

Entity level approvals

Queensland Government departments and local governments may either choose to hold an entity level approval (at department, division or regional level) or continue with the current arrangement of qualified Authorised Officers holding individual general approvals. Approvals issued to Authorised Officers are only valid while employed by the local government stated on the officer's application form.

Under an entity level approval, the entity will be responsible for ensuring that each officer complies with the conditions of approval including storing, applying, disposal and transporting of RS7 poisons and baits containing RS7 poisons, safely and securely to prevent unauthorised access as specified under the Poisons Regulation.

Substance management plans (SMPs)

It is a condition of a general approval issued to an entity (e.g. local government) that the authority holder must have a substance management plan (SMP) if they intend to hold more than a total of 100g of undiluted RS7s at any one time. For more information about SMPs please refer to the Queensland Health Departmental Standard - Substance management plans for regulated poisons (PDF 283 kB).

Compliance

Authorised Officers dealing with RS7 poisons need to comply with the regulation requirements relating to storage, transport and disposal as well as complying with the requirements of the APVMA approved product labels e.g. neighbour notification, signage and distance restrictions.

The competency requirements for authorised officers dealing with RS7 poisons used to control invasive animals are prescribed in the Departmental Standard - Competency requirements for authority holders dealing with poisons (PDF 338 kB).

Dealing with low risk fluoroacetic acid baits (LRFABs)

LRFABs include fresh (meat, grain, fruit, vegetables) or manufactured shelf stable baits with a concentration of not greater than 0.5 grams of fluoroacetic acid (1080) per kilogram of bait (0.05%).

The Poisons Regulation classifies authorised officers under the Biosecurity Act 2014 and Nature Conservation Act 1992 as Approved Persons and authorises them to possess, apply and dispose LRFABs on land managed by the relevant state department or local government.

Approved Persons are authorised on the basis of their competency and training to deal with LRFABs without the requirement for a specific approval under the MPA.

The authorised officers may supply LRFABs (fresh and shelf stable baits) to rural landholders and their employees or agents, who are also classified as approved persons (see Table 1) to carry out baiting activities on landholder’s property. Chapter 3 of the Poisons Regulation details requirements for supplying LRFABs to a rural landholder.

Authorised officers are not authorised to supply RS7 poisons, other than LRFABs, to rural landholders or other persons e.g. 1080 concentrate, PAPP shelf stable baits or pest ejector device capsules.

Table 1 - Approved Persons - Rural landholders

Local government officers who are authorised under the MPA to deal with RS7 poisons for invasive animal control can find more information about local government authorities for dealing with poisons, substance management plans and pest management activities, here Local government use of poisons.

Contacts

Queries about dealing with RS7 poisons for invasive animal control can be emailed to the Environmental Hazards Unit by email at environmentalhazards@health.qld.gov.au.