CRRU invited by HSE to develop SGARs stewardship

Plans will be developed and proposals presented to HSE, Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and Department of Health (DoH) by the end of September 2013.

In a process that began in August 2012, (see Pest news) HSE invited comments from stakeholders and other interested parties on Environmental Risk Mitigation Measures for SGAR use in the UK. In April this year, HSE held a meeting with stakeholders to discuss the responses (as reported in Pest issue 27). The outcome was that future use of SGARs requires a stewardship campaign for all main rodenticide user groups, including pest control professionals, local authorities, farm and land managers, gamekeepers and amateurs.

If the proposed stewardship regime is endorsed by the government oversight group, implementation will start as soon as possible after the end of September. 

SGARs soon to have their
own stewardship scheme 

Alongside this, HSE will determine the regulatory requirements for the authorisation of SGAR products to align with the stewardship regime. This will include any changes required to authorisations for existing products.

Assuming agreement on an acceptable stewardship regime is reached, on-going monitoring of the success of the initiative, including occurrence of anticoagulant residues in wildlife, will follow implementation. Success criteria will be agreed, with periodic review to consider the impact of the regime and make changes if required. A decision to revert to more stringent regulation may be necessary if effects on non-target organisms are found to be unacceptable.

A successful stewardship regime for SGARs will:

• define roles and responsibilities for all stakeholders;
• ensure delivery of agreed ‘best practice’ in all use sectors;
• provide the information/data required to inform and monitor success;
• include an oversight mechanism – to receive, review and respond to intelligence;
• understand and define the risks and benefits to strike the right balance between; environmental, public health and commercial concerns;
• be fully implemented by all parties.

Dr Alan Buckle, CRRU chairman said: “CRRU welcomes the opportunity to co-ordinate this important stewardship initiative. It is now in the hands of the suppliers and users of rodenticides to show that these essential products can be applied without unacceptable impacts on UK wildlife.”