Robert's Rants
Robert's Rants
A personal blog on the Canadian pesticide industry and other pet peeves and interests

A Call to Action! Part 2

LiphaTech, the producers of Generation and FirstStrike, is petitioning to have DFN products re-instated for outdoor use.

What the Industry…let me re-phrase that…what you need to do is simple:

Read the attached letter from LiphaTech on the issues.

And if you agree, contact the persons outlined in their letter and add your voice of support.

This is an important task, simple to do, but one with major consequences for all of us in Pest Management.

So take the few minutes and write, it will certainly help the cause!

A Call to Action – Part One! (Canadian Rodenticide re-evaluation decision)

The Industry needs your help as Professional Pest Managers.

You are all aware of the PMRA’s actions on the rodenticide re-evaluation decision, and the effects on domestic and commercial baits.  But there is one part of the decision we as an Industry should try to have reversed, and that is the limiting use of difethialone (DFN) baits for indoor use only, completing eliminating the opportunity to use outdoors.  The names more familiar to you would be Generation and FirstStrike.

The PMRA has lumped this bait into the same category as brodificoum, based on arbitrary levels set in one or two chemical properties.

What was ignored was the fact the bait is used at 50%, or half the rate, of brodificoum, and the properties of the products are much closer to bromodialone than brodificoum.  But this and other factors must have taken into account by the EPA, as PMP’s are still allowed to use DFN products both indoors and out in the States.

So what else does the current decision mean and what impact can it have?

There is now only one second generation anticoagulant available for outdoors.  And what, after  5  – 10 years of using one bait for outdoors, will we build up a resistant population of rodents????  Possible???  Who knows, but why take the risk.  And do we want to chance ruining another great active by overuse, leaving Canada with no effective bait for outdoors, where you need to stop infestations from coming inside?

The second issue is bait shyness, which we all know develops after continual use and feeding.  This will also impact choices…leaving us with products that aren’t any where near as effective.

So what do you need to do to help? 

Read part 2!

PMRA Reduced-Risk Mitigation on rodenticides

I’ve been meaning to address this issue, but find it was really complicated…

That’s a lie, it isn’t really that complicated – I might be a bit lazy is all. 

But again, the reduced-risk mitigation isn’t too complicated if you read through the PMRA documents, and especially Appendices II & III which capture the whole regulation quite nicely.  One of the better put together documents I have seen come out of a government agency.

The intent is clear and follows on to the rodenticide mitigation from the EPA that spurned numerous debates.  One such debate was whether or not is was good for the Professional Pest Control Industry. 

I am of the opinion that it will be good for the Industry as a whole, in putting the use of regulated goods more into the hands of people who have had proper training and licensing (plus re-certified – small dig).

The biggest impact is on the use of domestic products and the limitations on how they can be sold, and in the type of proven and tested  bait stations to ensure safety for over the counter use by home owners.   So the question is:  should home owners be trying to do their own rodent control?  Sure they should, but stay with the infinite number of snap traps, multi-catch stations and glue boards that don’t cause concerns with children, pets, non-target species or the environment.

But don’t rodenticides cause concerns around children, pets, non-target species and the environment???  Not when used according to the directions, labels and by those who are trained, skilled and apply those skills every day. 

Which why the law may be beneficial…but I’m betting it will be.

Since there is a bit more on this that needs to be addressed, I will continue on once I have a bit more time.

There will be a Positioning document on the subject for Gardex customers, and that should be available in the next 2 weeks, but many of the key issues will be expanded on here next week.

Until then, have a good weekend.