Rodenticide Policy Reform Gains Momentum Throughout British Columbia
Advocates in British Columbia are making great progress for wildlife as support for a long-overdue ban on anticoagulant rodenticides (AR’s) or “rat poisons” gain momentum across the province.
Photos provided by Melissa Hafting. To learn more about Melissa, visit her blog: Dare To Bird
Though the harmful effects of these highly toxic, persistent, and bioaccumulative products have been known for decades, species on all levels of the food-chain across Canada and the United States continue to suffer inhumane deaths from primary and secondary AR poisoning.
Increased public attention due to numerous cases of AR poisoned owls and other animals in BC have energized demand for new solutions. In response, municipal councils in the Districts of North Vancouver, Saanich, and Sooke, and the Cities of Victoria, Colwood, North Vancouver, and Port Moody have committed to prohibiting the use of ARs on all municipal-owned properties within their jurisdiction, and have formally requested action by the provincial government. Several other municipalities will hear similar motions over the next month.
Together with Owl Watch BC, Friends of Kings Community Nature Space, Animal Alliance of Canada, and other organizational partners, Defend Them All is supporting an initiative to ban rodenticides throughout British Columbia.
Contrary to the Integrated Pest Management Act, rodenticide use is not being replaced by non-toxic alternative measures of pest control. In British Columbia, brodifacoum sales have increased by 19% and bromadiolone sales have increased by 279% between 2003 and 2015. The pest control industry must evolve, and it has become clear that without regulatory pressure, they are unwilling to do so. Alternative approaches to poisons do exist, and a transition to chemical-free methods could be done with relative ease and prove cost-effective for the consumer and the government in the long run.
We are excited to be a part of the groundbreaking progress in the region and look forward to forthcoming change.
Organizational Supporters