Scheme to reduce toxins in wildlife fails ‘drastically’ as levels rocket

Emily Price

A Wales based poisoning research group has said a government backed scheme to reduce toxins in wildlife has failed “drastically” as new data reveals that levels have rocketed.

Rat poisons known as Second Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides (SGARs) and are used extensively in gamekeeping, farming and for pest control.

The poisoned rodents store the toxin in their liver and usually die within days of exposure.

But they also kill other wildlife by “secondary poisoning” when animals and birds eat the poisoned rats causing the poison to move through the food chain.

It’s thought that these chemicals may also damage human health and unborn children.

Scheme

Due to their risks to wildlife, SGARs failed an environmental safety assessment for outdoor use, but the UK Government permitted their use so long as the chemical industry introduced a scheme to reduce SGAR levels in wildlife – the Rodenticide Stewardship Scheme (RSS).

Powys based Wildlife Poisoning Research UK (WPRUK) has analysed UK Government lab reports, obtained by Freedom of Information Act requests, on tests carried out on dead foxes and birds.

The group says that since the start of the RSS regime in 2016, the level of SGARs in foxes has increased by 401% and in buzzards by 220%.

Data shows that much of this has been due to “extreme levels” of the high toxicity poison Brodifacoum.

Prior to 2016, this poison was only permitted for indoor use, but the UK Government later allowed its outdoor use.

‘Failed’

Publishing the latest report on foxes, Dr Ed Blane from WPRUK, a retired UK Government wildlife poison investigator, said: “It is now very clear that the RSS has totally failed and poison levels are now at an all-time high in some species.

“Having worked in wildlife for nearly 40 years, I have never known of any other Government-approved scheme which has failed so drastically. It is likely that hundreds of wild birds and mammals are being killed each year by these poisons.

“What is also of great concern is the UK Government’s on-going failure to report on the performance of the RSS.

“There should be annual reports published by the Government’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on the RSS.

“However, the last report was published on the HSE website in 2020. It appears that the UK Government is not that keen on the public knowing that this scheme has failed.

“The Welsh Government does have the power to make the use of these poisons safer to protect our wildlife. We hope our politicians in Cardiff will now take action.”

Misused

The Welsh Government is responsible for the Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme in Wales which provides analysis services for wildlife, companion animals and honeybees suspected of being poisoned by pesticides.

Welsh Government officials work closely with Welsh Police Rural Crime Teams to investigate cases where it is suspected that pesticides have been misused or abused.

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We are aware of these issues raised by WPRUK concerning the use of certain rodenticides.

“We form part of the Government Oversight Group reviewing the Rodenticide Stewardship Scheme and want to see a timely outcome of this work which creates the right balance between protecting the environment while protecting the public from risks posed by rodents.”

UK Government Health and Safety Executive’s Government Oversight Group are expecting a review to conclude later this year