Over the past 10-20 years, Australian farming systems have evolved significantly with the adoption of conservation agriculture techniques like minimum tillage, stubble retention, and diversified crop rotations. These methods have enhanced profitability, disrupted disease cycles, and improved soil health, contributing to the resilience and sustainability of Australian grain farming. However, these changes have also inadvertently boosted pest problems, particularly with feral house mice (Mus domesticus), which now thrive in the undisturbed environments of modern farms, leading to more frequent outbreaks.

To address this, farmers increasingly rely on zinc phosphide grain baits, but there's a need to explore a variety of strategies to mitigate mouse impacts on grain farms. This includes reducing food sources, crop cover, and mouse burrows, as well as improving overall mouse management through a deeper understanding of their interactions with the farming ecosystem. The investment aims to investigate these strategies and offer actionable recommendations to reduce the economic burden of mice on grain crops.

Other Instructions:

Applying for GRDC investments is done using the GRDC Grains Investment Portal. Once registered, users can visit the Portal at anytime.

For full details on the ATM and any associated attachments as well as information on any Questions and Answers relating to the ATM visit https://grdc.com.au/research/partnering-in-rde-investment/tenders/open-tenders

Conditions for Participation:

1.  The Tenderer must be a single legal entity or recognized firm of partners

2.  The Tenderer and any proposed subcontractor must be compliant with the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012, the Modern Slavery Act 2018 and any other applicable labour laws and standards in the jurisdiction in which they operate.

3.  The Tenderer and any subcontractor must not have a judicial decision against it (not including decisions under appeal) relating to employee entitlements and who have not paid the claim.

4.  The Tenderer and any subcontractor must not be named on the Consolidated List, being the list of persons and entities who are subject to targeted financial sanctions or travel bans under Australian sanction laws, as maintained by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Timeframe for Delivery:

GRDC will contract under the terms of the GRDC Standard Two-Party Research Contract.

It is anticipated that any resultant contract in relation to this procurement will commence with a proposed term of 60 months commencing July 2024.

Address for Lodgement:

Submit your Tender response electronically through the Grains Investment Portal at: https://access.grdc.com.au