Adapting to Change: Key Updates on Second-Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides - A Two-Year Preparation Period for Pest Controllers, Gamekeepers, and Farmers
In response to the recent update from the UK Rodenticide Stewardship Regime, professionals in pest control, gamekeeping, and farming are granted a two-year transition to prepare for significant changes concerning second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs).
Despite resistance from certain farming organisations, the directors of the stewardship regime, operated by the Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use UK (CRRU), deemed these changes essential for the regime to fulfil its purpose.
Starting from January 2026, all purchasers and users of professional SGAR products are required to possess either a stewardship-specific training certificate, less than five years old, or an older one along with evidence of membership in a stewardship-specific Continuing Professional Development (CPD) scheme.
"The most recent headline is that a stubbornly static 80% of barn owls carry residues of one or more SGARs. These changes are designed to strengthen stewardship and protect essential uses of rodenticides for all professional user sectors, especially farmers, by meeting GOG environmental targets". Dr Alan Buckle, CRRU chairman
As the expiration dates of five-year certificates approach, holders have the option to either undergo training for requalification or join a CPD scheme.
Since January 2023, all stewardship-specific training and certification approved by CRRU has been independently regulated by Ofqual. All qualifying CPD schemes will also be CRRU-approved.
Two are already available from BPCA Registered and Basis Prompt, with more expected to follow in 2024. Stay informed and prepare for a sustainable future in pest management.
Since its inception in 2016, the regime, led by the HSE Government Oversight Group, aimed to reduce wildlife exposure to rodenticides. The primary indicator of this goal is the incidence of SGAR residues in annual surveys of deceased barn owls submitted to the Predatory Bird Monitoring Scheme by the public.
Despite advancements in competence, best practices, increased awareness of potential adverse impacts of rodenticides on wildlife, and mitigation efforts across all three user groups, the target to minimise wildlife exposure to rodenticides, as set by CRRU chairman Dr. Alan Buckle, has yet to be fully achieved.
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