| Pests
40% of farmers still consider permanent
rodenticide baiting essential
In a recent survey conducted by CRRU UK, permanent rodenticide baiting is still considered essential by more than 1-
in-3 farmers - contrary to stewardship guidelines.
he Campaign for Responsible
Rodenticide Use (CRRU) with
the support of the National
Farmers Union (NFU) had 117
responses from farm owners
and managers.
The primary concern, according to
stewardship spokesman and CRRU chairman
Dr Alan Buckle, is that permanent rodenticide
baiting is still considered essential by a third
of farmers.
As an incentive to take part, the survey
included a prize draw to win a professional
brushcutter - making the point that rat control
should begin with keeping a tidy farmstead.
T
"The results tell that just over 60% of
farmers get this in theory, although
arithmetically this means nearly 40% don't.
Half of the participants scored their own
farm's tidiness a mediocre five, six or seven
out of ten."
The Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide
Use (CRRU)
www.farmingmonthly.co.uk
Impact on professional rodenticide usage
The Government panel that oversees the
stewardship regime said earlier this year that its
scrutiny "will focus on the extent of any
behavioural change among those operating in
the sector and the measurable effect this has
on residue levels in non-target animals."
"Compelling evidence of professional
rodenticides being used without unacceptable
effects on the environment means these
products could remain available as they are
today. However, without such evidence, we
should anticipate further restrictions on
where rodenticides can be used, and by
whom. Clearly, a significant share of
responsibility for which way this goes is in
farmers' own hands."
Dr Alan Buckle, CRRU Chairman
In the survey, farmers were asked about
increased rodenticide controls if stewardship
was unsucessessful.
When asked the posed with the
hypothetical statement "high potency
rodenticides might be restricted in future to
professional pest controllers only" 40% rated
this "probable" and 43% "possible".
"We've been hearing our members
frustrations when they encounter poor
practice by amateurs or inadequately trained
users. Our members were well prepared for
rodenticide stewardship and seem to have
understood the risks of it failing. We all want
to keep rodenticides on the shelf so we can
protect public health, but for that to happen,
farmers and pest controllers all need to pull
their weight when it comes to our rodenticide
stewardship requirements."
Natalie Bungay, BPCA Technical Officer
The brighter side of the survey
In their press release, CRRU said, "on a
positive note, about one-in-five report using
rodenticides only once a year or not at all, and
another one-in-four use them just twice to four
times a year."
How are farmers controlling rats?
• 79% poison baits
• 58% denying access to food
• 40% traps
• 31% rat-proofed buildings
• 31% terriers
• 31% shooting
August 2018 | Farming Monthly | 41