Rat poison legislation

[Kidds]

I can shoot a couple hundred

A couple of hundred??!!
If I can find three I'm thinking I've got a serious problem. Ten and I would be onto the Council for help.

 

[colhonk]

What time of night do they come out to play?

 

[roscoe erf]

Still buying it ok

 

[Roy_H]

A couple of hundred??!!
If I can find three I'm thinking I've got a serious problem. Ten and I would be onto the Council for help.

Did you see my previous post about one farm where they shot over 300 in one night?

 

[Kidds]

Did you see my previous post about one farm where they shot over 300 in one night?

No but I have worked on a farm like that in Essex. I walked into the pig shed one night and without exaggerating there were well over a couple of thousand rats in there.
I still say it's a serious rat problem, if nothing else they are living off food you have either bought or produced so are costing money.

 

[Pasty]

This is a poultry farm mainly and it's all outside so it's pretty hard to keep rats out as they'll climb 6' of mesh even if they can't get through or tunnel under it. They live in the stone walls and hedges. I admit I did have a serious issue which is why I kitted the gun out and it seems to have been very effective. I do use treadle feeders which the hens stand on to open but a rat is not heavy enough and that has cut down food wastage massively but they are messy birds and always leave something. Eggs are another target for the rats so you need to keep picking them up.

I'm not saying I'll never use poison. I tried that irradibait stuff or whatever which is supposed to only harm rodents but they just wouldn't touch it. But I'll try anything to avoid it and I like a bit of shooting anyway so it's been a fun job. I can honestly say I haven't seen a rat in a week, even at distance so will just keep an eye out and whack them when they return, as they are sure to do.

A couple of hundred??!!
If I can find three I'm thinking I've got a serious problem. Ten and I would be onto the Council for help.

 

[Hopley89]

surly many of people looking to shoot like my self would be more than willing to shoot the rats for FREE that you have and save you from haveing to pay for poison ££ or better still have to pay more money for feed ect that is been eaten..
also rat or mouse poisons surly isn't good for your live stock if they happened to get to it???

 

[Roy_H]

No but I have worked on a farm like that in Essex. I walked into the pig shed one night and without exaggerating there were well over a couple of thousand rats in there.
I still say it's a serious rat problem, if nothing else they are living off food you have either bought or produced so are costing money.

Not to mention the smell and obvious disease risks! I couldn't live with that. I remember my dad saying that even before the advent of rodenticides they always did their level best to keep rats down. They even resorted to using an old "garden gun" ( 3 bore shotgun) at times . Of course ammo was dirt cheap then!

 

[Pasty]

Not to mention the smell and obvious disease risks! I couldn't live with that. I remember my dad saying that even before the advent of rodenticides they always did their level best to keep rats down. They even resorted to using an old "garden gun" ( 3 bore shotgun) at times . Of course ammo was dirt cheap then!

We had a garden gun in he lounge for years. Hammer action. Wish I knew where it was now. Dad always said it took 9mm shot? No idea. Would love to have that gun now. Barrel was octagonal as I recall?

 

[Steevo]

We had a garden gun in he lounge for years. Hammer action. Wish I knew where it was now. Dad always said it took 9mm shot? No idea. Would love to have that gun now. Barrel was octagonal as I recall?

They are indeed 9mm cartridges, little brass ones.

Got a gun like that here - need to pick up some more carts though. They're pretty expensive though - nearly £10 for a box of 25!

 

[Pasty]

They are indeed 9mm cartridges, little brass ones.

Got a gun like that here - need to pick up some more carts though. They're pretty expensive though - nearly £10 for a box of 25!

I wonder where it went. Will ask him. I would be too scared to fire it to be honest! It was just on the wall like an ornament! Those were the days. I guess it went in an amnesty or some such.

 

[ARW]

The problem with shooting rats is you need to see them, you will have 20 plus rats if you can shoot one. I poison all year, they are gobbling through it ATM, I've got a good stock of poison but I'm not doing the corse, just another job creation money wasting scheme that is slowly driving up our cost of production up.

 

[johnb5555]

You can do it online here, £60. You get two attempts at the multiple choice to gain your certificate. OK I needed the second attempt.

http://www.rodentcontrolonfarms.co.uk

 

[Old Boar]

I have a bigger problem with squirrels - they take the bait though. Does that mean I can say the legislation only applies to rat bait and as I am using it for squirrels, it does not apply?

 

[Steevo]

You can do it online here, £60. You get two attempts at the multiple choice to gain your certificate. OK I needed the second attempt.

http://www.rodentcontrolonfarms.co.uk

Thanks for the Link. You've answered my earlier question:

Does the FA exemption only last for a limited period of time then? I thought it was supposed to be continuous.

Options for farmers:

In readiness, farmers have four options, all designed to ensure biosecurity and food safety, to be ready for using "stewardship label" rodenticides on their premises:

1. Possession of a certificate from an approved training programme and awarding organisation confirming professional competence.

2. Employment of a professional pest control contractor, which employs technicians themselves in possession of such approved certificates.

3. Membership of a UK farm assurance scheme which has among its standards a structured, documented and audited programme of rodenticide pest management. Click HERE for an up-to-date list of acceptable farm assurance schemes.

Please note that this is an interim measure, which will cease after December 2017 - unless the farm assurance schemes in question bring their standards fully in line with the CRRU Code of Best Practice.

The current schemes are:

• Red Tractor Farm Assurance - Beef and Lamb, Dairy, Crops, Fresh Produce, Pigs, Poultry
• Quality Meat Scotland – Cattle & Sheep, Pigs
• Farm Assured Welsh Livestock - Beef & Lamb
• Scottish Quality Crops
• Northern lreland Farm Quality Assurance Scheme - Beef and Lamb, Cereals
• British Egg Industry Council: Code of Practice for Lion Eggs
• Duck Assurance Scheme (Breeder replacement, Breeder layers, Hatcheries, Table birds, Free-range table birds)
• Agricultural Industries Confederation (Compound feeds, Combinable crops and Animal feeds)

4. The purchase and use of amateur rodenticide products (which refers to pack sizes of up to 1.5kg.)

 

[An Gof]

Not to mention the smell and obvious disease risks! I couldn't live with that. I remember my dad saying that even before the advent of rodenticides they always did their level best to keep rats down. They even resorted to using an old "garden gun" ( 3 bore shotgun) at times . Of course ammo was dirt cheap then!

A garden gun isn't a 3 bore shotgun but a 9mm gun.
A 3 bore shotgun, if avaialable, would be of more use for a Grizzly Bear than a rat

 

[DRC]

I've bought some of these.
http://www.ratandmousepestcontrol.co.uk/details.asp?ID=62&gclid=CJ-7473csdACFQcQ0wodSUICHQ#

 

[Steevo]

A garden gun isn't a 3 bore shotgun but a 9mm gun.
A 3 bore shotgun, if avaialable, would be of more use for a Grizzly Bear than a rat

or a No. 3

 

[Steevo]

speaking of which, I'm now curious to know which weapon is genuinely named the "number two" gun!

 

[Roy_H]

We had a garden gun in he lounge for years. Hammer action. Wish I knew where it was now. Dad always said it took 9mm shot? No idea. Would love to have that gun now. Barrel was octagonal as I recall?

A garden gun isn't a 3 bore shotgun but a 9mm gun.
A 3 bore shotgun, if avaialable, would be of more use for a Grizzly Bear than a rat

Yes l see what you mean but they were indeed once ( And confusingly ) refered to as 3 bore ie a bit smaller than .410. I know that the 4 bore or even 8 bore were huge things that were once used as 'Punt guns' , Heavy artillery to kill ducks!