Mouse plague hits rural Australia

SYDNEY: A mouse plague tearing through the rural heartland of the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) has led to its state government vowing to spend 50 million Australian dollars (R546m) to tackle the scourge.

Millions of mice have overrun rural towns and farms in the western districts of NSW in recent months, destroying entire crops. Farmers reported catching hundreds of the pests in their homes on a near daily basis.

In response, the NSW government is offering cash rebates to farmers and small businesses who have been the hardest hit.

“We know the financial pressure this mice plague is putting on farmers and household budgets, we are acting on it,” said NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro.