Press release from Wild Justice:
Another Silent Spring? A UK Government scheme to prevent the widespread poisoning of wildlife by rodenticides is failing.
Increasingly high levels of rodenticides (Rat poisons) have been found in Buzzards and Red Kites, and the Government is ignoring the evidence.
- A report by Wild Justice highlights that the exposure of birds of prey to rodenticides in England has increased since a government scheme was introduced in 2015 to try and combat the problem.
- Data from Red Kites and Buzzards, from both before and after the Rodenticide Stewardship Scheme (RSS) was introduced, show that anticoagulant rodenticides are now found in the livers of most dead birds that are tested, often at high levels.
- Between 2020 and 2022, almost three quarters of tested Buzzards had been poisoned by rodenticides that are supposed to be restricted for use in and around buildings, including highly toxic Brodifacoum. This shows rodenticides aren’t being used correctly and that the use of these products requires stricter regulation, monitoring and enforcement.
Rodenticides are now being found in the livers of most dead Buzzards and Red Kites tested, according to a new report by conservation campaign group Wild Justice.
Using data obtained through Freedom of Information Requests, Wild Justice’s ‘Collateral Damage’ report presents the results of Government laboratory tests for 366 Buzzards and 173 Red Kites that had been submitted to the Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme (WIIS) in England during the period 2005 to 2022. The report shows that in recent years nearly all these raptors had tested positive for Rat poison, often in high amounts.
Rat poisons are toxins (Second Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides, or SGARs) and are used extensively in game-keepering, farming and for pest control. It has been known for many years that these poisons don’t just kill targeted Rats. Poisoned Rats store the toxin in their liver and typically die several days after exposure. However, any animal eating the dying or dead Rat will also receive a dose of the toxin, resulting in the death of many species up the food chain, especially scavenging species such as Buzzards and Red Kites.
In 2012 the UK Health and Safety Executive carried out an environmental risk assessment on the use of SGARs and concluded that, due to the risk of secondary poisoning to wildlife, the poisons should not be used outdoors. However, the UK Government rejected this risk assessment and permitted the continued outdoor use of SGARs outdoors, even relaxing the regime to allow the external use of more toxic poisons such as Brodifacoum. Previously Brodifacoum was only allowed for use indoors.
The continued outdoor use of SGARs was on the condition that professional users complied with guidance known as the Rodenticide Stewardship Scheme (RSS) which was established in 2015. The aim of the RSS was to reduce SGAR exposure in wildlife resulting from improved Rat control working practices. The effectiveness of the RSS would be assessed by monitoring poison levels in wildlife, with a commitment to reduce SGAR exposure by 30% by 2020.
On the contrary, Wild Justice’s results demonstrate that rodenticide poisoning has actually increased during this period, not decreased.
Wild Justice compared data from birds tested before the introduction of the RSS in 2015, to those afterwards. Between 2005 and 2010 over 50% of dead Buzzards tested did not have any rodenticides in their livers. But in those tested between 2020 and 2022, over 90% of dead Buzzards had some level of rodenticide in their livers.
The data also show that in addition to the increasing number of Buzzards testing positive for rodenticide, there’s also been an increase in the number of birds containing very high levels of the poison. In Buzzards tested between 2005 and 2010, less than 2% contained over 0.3mg/kg (milligrams per kilogram) of SGAR poison in their livers, an amount considered to be very high. Yet in those tested between 2020 and 2022, nearly a quarter had over that amount.
An even starker picture was painted when looking at data for Red Kites. 15% of Red Kites tested between 2005 and 2010 contained these very high levels, whereas in those tested between 2020 and 2022, two thirds (66%) of birds had over 0.3mg/kg of SGAR rodenticide in their livers. In 2020-2022, none of the Red Kites tested were rodenticide free, and almost 90% had very high levels of poison.
Rodenticides are readily available, both for use by industry and for domestic purposes. There are different types of poisons available on the market, and many birds had been exposed to more than one type, with twelve of the Buzzards tested exposed to four different poisons. In Buzzards testing positive for rodenticide between 2020 and 2022, almost three quarters involved poisons that are supposed to be restricted for use in and around buildings, including highly toxic Brodifacoum.
Wild Justice believe this is partly the result of poisons being used illegally away from buildings. At the start of the survey period (2005 to 2012) these toxins were restricted to use within buildings only, and were generally marketed to professional pest controllers, rather than to gamekeepers and farmers. Now they appear to be in regular use by these groups, including illegally in open field situations away from buildings. This is the only explanation for such widespread levels of rodenticide found in Buzzards and Red Kites and shows that the use of these products requires stricter regulation, monitoring and enforcement.
Buzzards and Red Kites serve as indicators of a wider problem that will affect other predators and scavengers, including scarce and declining species. There are lots of species that eat rodents (not just Rats), meaning other birds like Kestrels and Barn Owls are also at risk. Wild Justice is calling for urgent regulatory changes to limit the availability and use of these products for the benefit of wildlife.
A spokesperson for Wild Justice said:
‘The Rodenticide Stewardship Scheme is a failed scheme, which the government should recognise. It is ridiculous that such dangerous, hazardous substances are escaping stricter regulation, especially when the evidence shows they are poisoning wildlife on a widespread scale, and even being used deliberately and illegally to do so. Our report reveals just the tip of the iceberg – such high levels of these poisons being found in birds of prey should be ringing alarm bells’.
ENDS
Wild Justice’s new report can be read/downloaded here:
UPDATE 10th December 2024: Inadequate response by Scottish Minister Jim Fairlie to parliamentary question on use & abuse of rodenticides (here)
Raptor Persecution UK 
Apologies if I’ve missed it, but does the report confirm the number of birds for which secondary rodenticide poisoning was recorded as the cause of death?
Not suggesting that any level of residual rodenticide is acceptable. I am keen to understand whether the report confirms a direct causative link between secondary poisoning and increased raptor mortality?
Hi Alauda,
No, that level of information is beyond the scope of this report (and besides, look at the introduction for an explanation of the under-reporting of SGARs poisoning).
This report focuses on exposure to rodenticides and the Govt’s scheme to prevent such exposure. The scheme has failed massively, as exposure has since increased, not decreased.
There is always the possibility that rodenticides such as brodifacoum are being used as primary poisons on poisoned baits – possibly in the belief that any such deaths would be classified as consequent upon legitimate use rather than abuse. This could account, at least in part, for the increase.
Its much more than a possibility- I would bet my house on the fact that there are people doing exactly what you describe. They are always looking and trying for a crafty little wrinkle that can do a job for them, yet not get them caught with their pants down. And if one has some success with a new method then news travels fast on the friendship clique / grapevine and everyone starts doing it until it gets made not quite as attractively risk-free either by some media scrutiny / changes in the law. I could give couple of examples of normal household items used down the years (and probably still used now) to commit wildlife crime by gamekeepers but I had better not. On topic of this rat poison, a well publicised case (*this is purely my own personal opinion) that rung alarm bells to me was the poisoned raptors in Dorset.
This criminal industry, must be dealt with. I suggest, that no gamekeeper, should for the time of being, ever be granted a shotgun or firearms certificate, as the circumstantial evidence is that this is an industry, where criminal activity, is standard practise, and the police are essentially allowing the widespread ownership of firearms, which are used on a daily basis, to perpetrate crimes, by criminals. Any claim, that, well these people don’t perpetrate crimes against people, needs to be countered, by the repeated threats, harrassment, and assaults on activists, ranging from the targeting of Chris Packham, to the violent intimidation of hunt monitors etc. These are thoroughly nasty people, who will stop at nothing to get what they want, and they feel entitled to do whatever they like. The fact, they are often employed by, and orchestrated by some of the richest, most titled members of the establishment, is hardly a reason this criminality should be ignored, and is evidence of widespread establishment corruption. Undoubtedly, many will think my statements extreme. However, this criminality, has always been falsely seen as one or 2 bad apples, amongst in industry of mainly law abiding citizens. Yet the circumstantial evidence does not support this, with it indicating that not only does this criminality happen, on a large proportion of shooting estates, but it is likely the vast majority.
Well said ………. and spot on!!
Obviously it’s shocking that so many raptors are exposed to these rodenticides. I also want to point out that, although they have a bad reputation and many people dislike them, rats are sentient beings that can suffer just as much as a raptor (or any other vertebrate). Since rats take several days to die after ingesting rodenticides they presumably suffer a large amount of pain and therefore these poisons are inhumane even when used in accordance with the law. Surely the time has come to ban the use of all these poisons and if rat numbers need to be controlled it should be done using lethal traps which, hopefully, result in a quick death.