Title: Australian scientists call for a ban on rodenticides known to harm wildlife, pets, and the environment
More than two hundred Australian scientists and environmental experts have written an open letter to the government claiming the use of rodenticides is causing significant harm to native wildlife, pets, and ecosystems. The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) is currently reviewing the use of rodenticides in a rare recognition that strong action is needed to safeguard Australia’s unique biodiversity from the pollution caused the chemicals it has registered to poison rodents.
Rodenticides—including brodifacoum, bromadiolone, difethialone, difenacoum, and flocoumafen—do not degrade quickly, accumulate in the bodies of poisoned animals and persist in the environment for extended periods. A single feeding of a rodenticide can deliver a lethal dose, leading to prolonged internal bleeding, weakness, and a slow, painful death.
Rodenticides present an immediate and direct threat to wildlife and pets that ingest the baits. Many species—like possums, bandicoots, native birds, and domestic dogs and cats—suffer from ingesting these poisons.
The toxic effects extend beyond the immediate victims, as the poisons can persist in the bodies of affected animals for weeks or even months, creating an ongoing risk of secondary poisoning. This means that predators and scavengers—including owls, quolls, goannas, and even domestic pets—don’t just face a one-time risk; they are repeatedly exposed and the poisons accumulate in the food chain.
Australian research has confirmed that rodent pesticides have been detected in multiple threatened species, including five marsupials (Tasmanian Devils, Spotted-tailed Quoll, Eastern Quoll, Chuditch and Northern Quolls) and three species of birds (Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoo, Tasmanian Wedge-tailed Eagle and Tasmanian Masked Owl) on the mainland and Tasmania which are listed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, 1999 (EPBC Act).
Despite the well-documented risks and the growing list of species impacted, rodenticides remain readily available in Australian retail stores for widespread use by the public. Countries such as the United States, Canada, and European Union nations have introduced significant restrictions on the use of rodenticides to reduce risks of unintended harms. As a result of the APVMA review, Australia now has a chance to update its current policies and enhance the protection of wildlife.
Article: WeedsNews6949 (permalink) Categories: :WeedsNews:rodenticide, :WeedsNews:rodents, :WeedsNews:policy, :WeedsNews:birds Date: 8 June 2025; 12:45:31 pm Australian Eastern Standard Time
