Australia's pesticide regulator sets new rules banning some rat baits from public sale
Popular rat baits could soon be banned from shop shelves after a ruling from Australia's national pesticides regulator. (ABC South West: Madigan Landry)
In short:
The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority has declared second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides a restricted chemical product.
The ruling means popular, commercially available rat baits could only be sold to licensed operators, such as pest controllers.
What's next?
The AVPMA will work with state and territory governments to enact the ban in coming months.
Over-the-counter rat baits could soon be taken off shelves after a federal regulator announced it would be declaring significant restrictions on popular commercially available poisons.
Four years after starting a review into rodenticides, the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) has recommended certifying second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) as restricted chemical products (RCP).
The RCP status would mean that purchasing products containing certain ingredients would be restricted to individuals who meet specific licensing requirements.
SGARs have a devastating effect on native reptiles and birds, including owls, that receive lethal or crippling doses when they consume poisoned rodents.
Wildlife advocates have been calling for the ban due to the poison's risk to native animals.
Wildlife carers say owls and other native animals are being poisoned from eating rats that have taken widely used baits. (ABC South West: Madigan Landry)
Regulator embraces feedback
APVMA chief executive Scott Hansen said the decision would change the availability of baits.
"You would need to demonstrate and show your accreditation or your licence to be able to purchase," he said.
"They will only be available for sale to people who have demonstrated competencies and experience, which in most cases will mean they'll be taken off the shelves of retail outlets."
The recommendation is the first time the APVMA has certified a chemical as an RCP in more than a decade.
In December, the APVMA published a draft decision that only went as far as mandating changes to labelling and instructions.
Scott Hansen says the changes to the recommendation have come in response to extensive consultation with stakeholders. (Supplied: APVMA)
Mr Hansen said the final recommendation came after extensive consultation with state and territory authorities on the implications of the draft decision.
"The feedback highlighted that it would be a much simpler and straightforward way to police the fact that SGARs were only sold to people who were trained and competent in their use by making them a restricted chemical product," he said.
It is now the responsibility of state and territory regulators, in coordination with the APVMA, to identify what criteria and training would allow individuals to purchase the poisons.
Wildlife advocates say the ruling is a first step and a more comprehensive ban is needed. (ABC South West: Madigan Landry)
Mr Hansen said the regulator hoped new restrictions would minimise the impacts the poisons had on the environment.
"Their toxicology, their long half-life in the environment … means that they are a threat and a risk to non-target species," he said.
"The way in which they are used needs to be very carefully monitored, very carefully deployed to ensure that you minimise that risk to non-target species."
Significant change to wildlife safety
Animal advocacy groups have been lobbying across the country for a ban on SGARs since 2020.
In the South West of WA, Capes Raptor Centre manager Tara Finch said the latest recommendation was a step in the right direction.
"Ideally, we would like them completely out of use," she said.
Wildlife carcasses tested for rodenticide poisoning show the extent of damage rat baits are doing to native owl populations. (ABC South West: Madigan Landry)
"Anywhere they're being used, they have that potential to be causing harm and you can't guarantee they're going to remove poisoned rodents from the environment.
"It definitely goes a long way to reducing the harm to our wildlife."
Ms Finch said it was a relief to see the regulator respond to the concerns raised by advocacy groups.
"There's been such a huge upswelling of support from the general public, which has been fantastic, for Australians to really care about our wildlife, our raptors, our owls," she said.
"It's great that the government has responded to the community's concerns."
A spokesperson for Assistant Minister for Agriculture Anthony Chisholm welcomed AVPMA's advice and said the federal government would work with stakeholders to work out how to implement the restrictions.