Following 10 deaths of ducks on the pond in Mid-May the Clerk contacted the Environment Agency. An agent from the Environment Agency Advised that there are rodents in this local area that are resistant to some poisons and people put more down that then get in to wildlife circles which may be an explanation for the deaths though can’t be certain. There have been done since and if there was any more we would need to supply them with one if possible.
The latest guidance from CRRU (The Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use) is as follows:Â The website about rodenticide resistance is:Â http://guide.rrac.info/resistance-maps/resistance-maps/
From latest CRRU report (“Anticoagulant Resistance in Rats and Mice in the UK – Current Status in 2017â€):
“The very widespread occurrence of the VKORC1 mutations L120Q, Y139F and Y139C in Norway rats is most probably a reflection of restrictions on the permitted use of anticoagulants for rat control in the UK. Until recently, the use of the more effective anticoagulants (i.e. brodifacoum, difethialone and flocoumafen) was virtually precluded at all these loci, and as a result, the resisted active substances bromadiolone and difenacoum were predominantly used, and now appear to be largely ineffective against Norway rats that possess one of the these three VKORC1 resistance mutations.
For these three VKORC1 mutations in Norway rats, it is now the view of RRAG (Rodenticide Resistance Action Group) that continued use of bromadiolone and difenacoum will lead to the increasing spread of these severe forms of anticoagulant resistance, will not provide any satisfactory level of rat control and constitutes unnecessary risk to wildlife because of the large quantities of ineffective anticoagulants that are entering the environment. RRAG therefore recommends that Bromadiolone and Difenacoum should not be used against Norway rats that are shown to possess one of these three VKORC1 mutations.â€