POLITICS
The Agriculture (Wales) Bill received Royal Assent with the sealing ceremony taking place on 17 August 2023.
It introduced a ban on the use of glue traps which will come in to force on 17 October 2023.
The Agriculture (Wales) Act 2023 includes provisions to amend the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 making the use of glue traps an offence.
The Welsh government Wildlife Team said:
"The Wildlife and Countryside Act is enforced by police forces across Wales and from the 17 October, any person found guilty of using a glue trap could face imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine.
BPCA responds to misguided legislation with open letter
The British Pest Control Association (BPCA) has written to Lesley Griffiths MS, the Minister for Rural Affairs in the Welsh Government.
The letter is available here in full:
By email to: [email protected]
27 September 2023
RE: Agriculture (Wales) Act 2023
Dear Lesley Griffiths MS -
As you will be aware, the British Pest Control Association (BPCA) objected to the ban on rodent glue boards in the Agriculture (Wales) Bill which has now received Royal Assent.
We argued for a licensing scheme for pest professionals so our sector could continue to use the only means we had to catch rodents quickly in high-risk areas.
Defra has proved that a workable licensing scheme is possible, and we would have worked with Natural Resources Wales to get a similar scheme in place to protect Welsh citizens and businesses.
Now that the Act is in force, it will have inevitable consequences on businesses in Wales with high-risk food areas being severely challenged to maintain food security and public health.
Ironically, the only business that will likely benefit from the ban will be pest management companies, as it will cost their clients with pest problems considerably more to get premises rodent-free and safe.
We will monitor closely the impact of the ban on our members’ clients but the ban on glue boards will inevitably have an adverse effect on animal welfare.
- Rodent populations will increase while their food sources remain static leading to greater numbers facing starvation
- The increased use of biocidal products (rodenticides) will result in an inevitable increase in non-target species being poisoned. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) want us to monitor this closely
- An increase in the use of rodent break-back traps will lead to more rodents suffering from foul catches.
While a rodent caught on a professionally placed glue board typically had a humane death, their futures are far more uncertain with the tools we have left.
I do not believe the citizens of Wales would ever choose to co-exist with rodents. Sadly, however, that will become an increasingly common circumstance for many.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) is clear that one of the significant factors in the increase in human lifespan globally is professional pest management. As such we advocate strongly for adequate pest management as we know society thrives and human life is enhanced because of our sector’s work.
Your work on this Act has hindered our members ability to protect Welsh citizens and long term we expect to see more rodent-based pathogens disproportionally harm Welsh people due to increased rodent populations.
If any of the above causes concern, we will be happy to work with the Welsh Government to re-introduce access to rodent glue boards for pest professionals to maintain the public health and food security of the people of Wales.
I hope whenever you read of someone in Wales in hospital because they’ve contracted Weil's disease, salmonella, listeria, or any of the other nasty pathogens rodents carry, you’ll remember the warnings we issued.
And when Welsh citizens rightfully ask why rodent lives were prioritised over theirs, we’ll be sure to point to the Welsh government and this poorly thought-out legislation.
Yours sincerely,
Ian Andrew
Chief Executive
British Pest Control Association
Source: Online