eBay has been questioned over facilitating the sale of “revolting” products that are illegal for consumers to use across Victoria. Garden nets with large holes that repeatedly strangle and maim native animals have been posted to an address in Melbourne, despite them being banned since 2021.
It’s the second time the US-based online retail giant has been caught out in a year, with Yahoo News highlighting the same problem in January.
Other international online retailers, including Temu and Amazon were also found to be listing similar items, and both are responding to the problem.
“We are in the process of removing these products from sale across Australia on Amazon.com.au,” an Amazon spokesperson said in reference to its work with the Animal Justice Party to address the issue.
Temu swiftly removes entire search term from website
After Yahoo News contacted Temu about the items, the entire search term “fruit tree netting” was immediately removed from its Australian site.
“Following your inquiry, we removed the five listings highlighted to us and are reviewing related items on our platform to ensure they comply with relevant regulations,” it told Yahoo News.
Temu acted swiftly by removing the search term “fruit tree netting” from its Australian site. Source: Temu
A search now comes up with the message, “No results for fruit tree netting”, although as of Thursday, some similar terms were still active.
“Temu does not allow third-party sellers to list products that fail to meet applicable regulatory requirements,” it added.
“When a potentially non-compliant item is identified, we remove it promptly and take appropriate action against the seller.”
eBay packages arrive with items banned in Victoria
Because they’re not illegal across all of Australia, Victorian man Lawrence Pope performed a test and bought two items with holes bigger than 5mm x 5mm from the site to see if they’d be delivered to his home.
After they arrived last month, his message to eBay was simple: “Stop killing Australia”.
“When we kill Australian wildlife, we kill what’s essential and unique to this country,” he said.
Pope is a registered wildlife rescuer with Friends of Bats and Bushcare, and he says witnessing the damage done by harmful netting is having a “shocking” effect on his colleagues and members of the public who witness it.
“We’ll often find mother flying foxes dead in the net, and her baby still alive — it’s revolting and really repellent, and it really shouldn’t happen,” he said.
When flying foxes are entangled in netting, they are often strangled or maimed as these pictures taken this year in Victoria highlight. Source: Supplied
Asked to respond to the netting listings, eBay referred Yahoo to its response about the issue in January.
“In respect of Victorian laws relating to fruit netting, since 2021 eBay has implemented proactive filters designed to block listings for netting that exceed size limits. When triggered these filters also provide sellers with specific information relating to these laws,” it said.
“Responsibility of ensuring that the listing and sale of any item on the eBay marketplace is compliant with the law does however remain with the individual or business that originally listed an item for sale.”
It added that it supported “harmonised national regulation” on garden netting, which would “make compliance easier for both sellers and consumers”.
The nets Lawrence Pope bought have holes wider than 5mm x 5mm. Source: Supplied
NSW urged to follow Victorian lead on ‘unsafe’ netting
Expanding regulations to combat the harm caused by garden netting is something that Animal Justice Party (AJP) MP Emma Hurst is passionate about.
In her elected state of NSW, snakes are also regularly entangled, creating a dangerous situation for human residents as well as wildlife.
Hurst has called on Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty to ban the sale and use of “unsafe netting”, because alternatives are available, but the government has yet to take action.
When contacted for comment by Yahoo News, the minister’s office did not respond.
“Given the government’s lack of action, we have been talking to companies and asking them to stop the sale of this cruel netting,” Hurst said.
“Amazon has agreed to end all sales, and we are continuing discussions with the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) in the hope of getting more companies on board,” she said.
The latter confirmed it had met with the AJP, but said it was not in a position to comment at this stage.
Hurst explained her passion to see these nets banned, saying, “Each year, thousands of animals become ensnared in unsafe fruit netting, often suffering painful bodily contortions, broken bones, twisted limbs and wings, and in some cases, suffocation or death from starvation or dehydration.”
“Wildlife safe netting, which is netting with a smaller mesh size, is already commercially available.
“All we need is a mandatory requirement to use wildlife-friendly netting, and a ban on wildlife-deadly netting.”
Love Australia’s weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week’s best stories.
