Written by Iain Hoey
Two-thirds of barn owls have been found with detectable liver residues of two or more second generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) according to Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use (CRRU) surveillance.
CRRU has been analysing 100 barn owls per year since 2016 and for the first time, one barn owl was identified in which SGAR exposure was a possible contributor to the cause of death.
Rodenticide users such as farmers, gamekeepers and pest controllers, are now being reminded of their legal and farm assurance obligations to follow product label instructions diligently.
Whilst the latest results show no significant rise nor fall in total SGAR residues, the latest analysis was of birds that died during only the second year of fully operational rodenticide stewardship controls,
The liver analyses and data reporting are carried out independently for CRRU by the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Lancaster.
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