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Abstract:
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An 0.5 percent decrease in the value of just one agricultural industry examined in this report, would justify the present APB starling programme. If potential starling damage in Western Australia developed to the stage it has in the Eastern States or overseas, qualified data suggests damage would be greater than 0.5 percent in some industries, especially the soft fruit. It could therefore be assumed that the cost of keeping starlings out of this state would be less than the cost of potential agricultural mage. It is frequently reported in the literature that starlings displace several native bird species and defecate over extensive areas. It therefore appears starlings may have the potential to create damage equivalent to the 5.5 percent maximum value f nd in the analyses and so in itself justify the APB starling programme in Western Australia.
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