Desperate farmers beg for help with NSW mouse plague

Desperate farmers are begging the government for assistance as a mouse plague across the NSW Central-West continues to rage on.

Millions of rodents are invading schools, homes, and farms - and wiping out crops.

Farmers gathered at State Parliament yesterday asking for $25,000 to bait the mice, but no ministers attended their meeting.

READ MORE: Mouse plague decimating crops, destroying livelihoods

"The smell is horrific. You can pick up all the mice you see but there is always more. I did 38 loads of washing in three days," Lisa Minogue a farmer from Barmedman said.

"My house is pretty much packed up in boxes. A bucket of bait for my house I go through in five days. That's $200 every five days."

NSW Farmers Grains Committee Chair Matthew Madden said loss of stored grain and fodder is having the greatest financial impact, with farmers estimating losses between $50,000 and $150,000.

"If this was a problem with Balmain I'm sure it would have been fixed by now".

But Minister for Agriculture and Western New South Wales Adam Marshall criticised the time of the meeting.

"I find that bitterly disappointing, if they're serious about getting government attention you'd think they'd hold the meeting at a time the government could actually attend."

NSW Farmers and the CWA have joined forces to call on the State Government for urgent financial support.

A survey conducted by the two organisations found severe social and mental impacts on famers, their families, and rural communities.

"A staggering 97 per cent of the survey respondents felt the influx of mice is affecting their stress levels making farm business decisions," CWA CEO Danica Leys said.

"People are having issues with sleeping, which we all know as a significant impact on mental and physical health."