Proliferation of animal pests

Australia's government said on Saturday it was worried about a plague of mice in the west and would keep working with industry to curb its impact on food supply."Obviously we're concerned about the mice situation including in Western Australia," Energy Minister Chris Bowen said in televised remarks from Sydney.According to local media, mice - a persistent problem in Australian grain-growing regions - have been infesting farms in the wheatbelt state of Western Australia. The situation prompted grain producers in April to warn of crop losses and call for access to more powerful mice poison.Infestation levels are also a concern in South Australia. Bowen said the centre-left government was continuing to work hard with industry to reduce the plague's impact on local and overseas food supply."A mice plague is a very difficult situation for farmers and for industry and for governments," he added.Australia, the world's fourth-largest wheat exporter, suffered its worst mouse plague in 1993, when the rodents destroyed thousands of hectares of crops and attacked livestock in pig and chicken farms, according to the country's science agency.