A ban by council on the use of a lethal poison to kill feral animals has been welcomed by the Coalition of Australians against 1080 poison.
Coalition campaign co-ordinator, Alex Vince, said: "1080 is a chemical so infamous for its cruelty that almost every other nation on earth refuses to permit it past its borders. Its use is prohibited in many countries based on the breathtaking danger it presents any animal unlucky enough to 'take the bait'.
"Though proponents claim that it represents current best-practice in pest animal management, the ends do not justify the means. No animal deserves to suffer the torture 1080 puts its victims through."
Mr Vince said the "leadership shown by the Blue Mountains City Council should be a wake-up call for other local governments. An outright ban is overdue and it's time to get rid of it for good."
He called the Blue Mountains council ban a "milestone" in the growing national movement against 1080.
In pest control programs organised by the Greater Sydney Local Land Services and the National Parks and Wildlife Service in the Mountains area, 1080 is laced in meat-based baits intended to kill foxes and dingoes and laid on the ground or dropped out of helicopters.
National Parks is currently carrying out a baiting program in the park around Glenbrook.
It has been condemned by peak Australian animal welfare agencies as cruel and inhumane due to the suffering it causes.
The coalition of Australians against 1080 poison is a national community network which includes a local action group in the Mountains.
The Blue Mountains group is determined to be the voice of wild animals in the region and provide the community with information the authorities have failed to offer. It has recently distributed hundreds of flyers to local households alerting them to ongoing baiting programs in nearby national parks.
"We are all opposed to 1080 baiting and we fear for the wildlife in our beautiful World Heritage area as 1080 baiting is extremely cruel and indiscriminate," the group said in a statement.
