South Australian farmers can now use more powerful bait as they gear up for a second wave of a mouse plague in 2026.

Growers have been urged to immediately check their paddocks for mice after recent monitoring classified the Mid North, Lower Yorke, Eyre and SA Victoria Mallee agro-ecological zones as having high mouse activity.

Eligible growers in these zones have been granted access to double-strength zinc phosphide bait, ZP50, to deal with the sudden mouse outbreak.

ZP50 comes as a relief for many farmers who had been calling for greater access to stronger bait.

Fifth-generation farmer and father of four Kelvin Tiller spent an extra $25,000 earlier this year due to baiting.

“Because there’s an increase in mouse numbers we’ve been baiting everything, in the past we haven’t necessarily done that,” Mr Tiller said.

“In the past you might bait 500ha to 1000ha of land every year but this year we will do the whole 3000ha.”

Grain Producers SA chief executive Brad Perry said the sudden escalation in mouse activity was a warning grain producers should take seriously as crops moved towards the critical spring growth and grain development period.