27/03/06
The Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use (CRRU) is entering
its second year with continued financial support from an industry
group to the tune of £100,000. Launched in May 2005 and made
up of seven leading manufactures and marketers of rodenticides,
CRRU aims to encourage those in the countryside to use rodenticides
more responsibly and reduce any risks to wildlife.
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“Our first year has been very successful,” says CRRU
Chairman and independent adviser Dr Alan Buckle. “We have
targeted key countryside groups – farmers, growers and game
keepers – and worked with wildlife and rural organisations
to gain their support.”
For 2006/07, each member company will increase its contribution
to CRRU activities. “One of our main aims is to increase
our education programme and achieve widespread promotion of a code
of good practice under the banner ‘Think Wildlife’,” adds
Dr Buckle.
Monitoring of wildlife species like Barn Owls and Red Kites has
found traces of anti-coagulant rodenticides, although there is
no indication that this is affecting their populations. “However,
the industry has a responsibility to ensure rodenticides are used
responsibly and those involved eliminate any risk of contamination.
“We are introducing a training module for rodenticide companies
and related organisations to use and we are working alongside farm
assurance organisations to ensure responsible rodenticide use is
an integral part of their programmes.”
Users are encouraged to follow CRRU recommendations, and particularly
ensure that any dead rodents are immediately removed to prevent
wildlife picking them up – a more likely cause of contamination
of wildlife than direct contact with the rodenticide, according
to Dr Buckle.
For the first time CRRU will be at the CLA Game Fair in July and it will be represented
through its member companies at technical trade shows this year including the
British Pig and Poultry Fair in May and the Dairy Event in September.
Each member company will also be actively promoting CRRU. “Literature in
packs will help get the Think Wildlife logo and the code of good practice into
the hands of all users. It will be a gradual process, but through our targeted
activities and increased support we are confident that the CRRU will continue
to get its ‘call to action’ message across,” says Dr Buckle.
CRRU seven-point code - THINK WILDLIFE
ALWAYS
- Have a planned approach
- Record quantity of bait used and where
it is placed
- Use enough baiting points
- Collect and dispose of rodent bodies
NEVER
- Leave bait exposed to non-target animals and birds
- Fail to inspect
bait regularly
- Leave bait down at the end of the treatment
Members of The Campaign
for Responsible Rodenticide Use (CRRU) are: Barrettine Environmental
Health, Bell Laboratories, Killgerm Chemicals, Novartis Animal
Health, PelGar International, Rentokil Initial and Sorex.
Experts from professional organisations and universities are
involved in CRRU, such as English Nature, the HSE (Health and
Safety Executive) and the Universities of Reading, Huddersfield
and Leeds.
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