A North Queensland farmer will have to dismantle the electric grids in his lychee orchard after he allegedly admitted to the media that he had killed thousands of spectacled flying foxes.

Judge Alan Wilson SC in the Planning and Environment Court has handed down a judgment that will force the farmer to destroy the grids within three months. Judge Wilson made the order after hearing the case of Booth vs Yardley brought by conservationist Dr Carol Booth in which was supported by the EDO team and barrister Chris McGrath.

'This is good news for bats. It's about time the Queensland Government recognised the need to get rid of these barbaric grids from the landscape,' said Dr Booth when she spoke to Wildlife Queensland after the judgement had been released.

Booth vs Yardley is the ninth such case to be brought.

Dr Booth had brought an injunction against Yardley on the basis that the bats being killed in his orchard were likely to be spectacled flying-foxes, endemic to North Queensland, protected under Queensland law and listed as 'vulnerable' under the federal EPBC Act.

An earlier legal decision bans the use of grids, but does not make their existence illegal. The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service issues permits for the shooting of flying foxes in certain circumstances.

The full judgement will be published soon.

Previous articles on flying fox legal cases

More information on flying foxes

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