In the last issue of the newsletter Mike Goodwin highlighted an incident with dogs being poisoned with brodifacoum. Apparently this issue has occurred again. I’d like to reinforce Mike’s concerns.
Brodifacoum is an excellent product for killing rats, but like all poisons it needs to be treated with care and you must follow all label instructions precisely.
All rat poisons must be used in bait stations. The bait station should be robust enough to prevent animals such as dogs from ripping them open and ideally the bait should be held captive within the station. Block baits with a hole in them are ideal as they can be threaded onto a rod or wire which will prevent rats from taking them out of the station where other animals may access them.
It is not ok to broadcast rat bait directly onto the ground. When handling poisons always wear the personal protective equipment recommended on the label (e.g. gloves) and wash your hands before touching food or smoking (the latter is a bit ironic given the toxins you will inhale from a cigarette…but hey that’s your choice).
Store unused bait in its original packaging; locked up away from food and animals.
When bait shows signs of deterioration dispose of it, along with the packaging, in accordance with the label instructions. The Ditrac rat bait, which Mike mentioned in his article, is less accumulative than 2nd generation anticoagulants like brodifacoum so it poses less risk to pets but…it is best to treat all poisons with the same care and always follow the label instructions. While looking after the environment, remember to take care of yourself and others (including pets).
Keep up the good work.
TREAT ALL POISONS WITH CARE
Dale Williams | Land Management Officer (Biodiversity) | Bay of Plenty Regional
Council | Rotorua, New Zealand | Ph: 0800 884 881 x7575 | Web: www.boprc.govt.nz
Brodifacoum is an excellent product for killing rats, but like all poisons it needs to be treated with care and you must follow all label instructions precisely.
All rat poisons must be used in bait stations. The bait station should be robust enough to prevent animals such as dogs from ripping them open and ideally the bait should be held captive within the station. Block baits with a hole in them are ideal as they can be threaded onto a rod or wire which will prevent rats from taking them out of the station where other animals may access them.
It is not ok to broadcast rat bait directly onto the ground. When handling poisons always wear the personal protective equipment recommended on the label (e.g. gloves) and wash your hands before touching food or smoking (the latter is a bit ironic given the toxins you will inhale from a cigarette…but hey that’s your choice).
Store unused bait in its original packaging; locked up away from food and animals.
When bait shows signs of deterioration dispose of it, along with the packaging, in accordance with the label instructions. The Ditrac rat bait, which Mike mentioned in his article, is less accumulative than 2nd generation anticoagulants like brodifacoum so it poses less risk to pets but…it is best to treat all poisons with the same care and always follow the label instructions. While looking after the environment, remember to take care of yourself and others (including pets).
Keep up the good work.
TREAT ALL POISONS WITH CARE
Dale Williams | Land Management Officer (Biodiversity) | Bay of Plenty Regional
Council | Rotorua, New Zealand | Ph: 0800 884 881 x7575 | Web: www.boprc.govt.nz
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