PEST CONTROL PEST CONT PEST CONT


TROL


CHANGING UP THE AT


RA T RACE T


As important changes to the sale and use of rodenticides are set to come into ef fect, how much do you know about your responsibilities as a retailer and what it will mean for the market?


T r etailer’s


he pest control industry is being somewhat squeezed by incoming changes in legislation and


is having to adapt to ensure it is meeting new r equirements and supporting its customer . New r egulations


for buying


and using r odenticides mean that pr ofessional users now need a certificate of competence in order to make the purchase and it is the r esponsibility to check


that befor e making the sale. And, this doesn’t just apply to bricks- and-mortar r etailers; online sellers of r odenticides have, in r ecent weeks, been r eminded that the UK Rodenticide Stewar dship Regime requires the same stringent point- of-sale controls as all other outlets. A guidance note published by the Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use (CRRU) reiterates that buyers self-declaring proof of competence or assurance scheme membership by ticking a box is


simply not acceptable in order to complete a sale.


“Likebricks and mortarsellers,those online have an absolute r esponsibility to confirm every


fi purchaser ’s


identity and validity of their proof of competence,” says Killgerm group managing director Rupert Broome, leader of CRRU’s Point Of Sale work group, which was responsible for drawing up the new guidelines.


New guidelines


While non-professional users of r odenticide products don’t need to pr ovide accreditation in the same way when purchasing,


retailer s


selling products to these end-users must still adher e to strict new guidelines to keep within the law. Under these guidelines, all products offered f or sale must be labelled as being authorised for non- professional use and clearly identified as such in all descriptions. Products must be sold only in their original ff ed


fe


packaging, and all pack sizes of for sale must comply with restricted pack sizes for non-professional use – currently 1.5kg or less.


l pack sizes offer The maximum concentration of active ingredients in rodenticides is being r educed to 30ppm


Safety Executive (HSE) a re legal to sell online and it is illegal to br eak down original packaging into smaller quantities.


The stewar dship guidelines warn that failure to comply with the r egime may be an offence and could lead to the company concerned being reported to HSE, T rading Standards and any other relevant body


Tr rading body y.. It may also lead to


cancellation of the authorisation for sale of the pr oduct concerned.


Review of ingredients


Restrictions on and potential bans of a number of active ingr edients in r odenticides – the majority of which are classified as anticoagulants – ar e also being considered under the Biocidal Pr oducts Review process. Barrettine group managing director Steve Bailey tells DIY Week that these decisions


We are inextricably arguably


linked and form part of what he describes as a “complex picture”. He explains: “The strength of many of the existing products/actives are often the same, r egardless of whether they ar e amateur approved or professional use products. So, all users


y,, should be


following the same codes of best practise to pr otect health, non-tar get species and the envir onment.”


Barrettine supplies products to the professional pest control market has


and recently launched its are 20 DIY WEEK 10 MARCH 2017


Knockout brand for amateur use into the consumer market. Barr ettine is a member company of CRRU and part of its taskfor ce working on the Rodenticide Stewardship scheme. As many as 51 active ingredients curr ently


being including Bromadiolone, Wa and Difethialone, and it is the


r esponsibility of the Biocidal Products Regulation to introduce new rules over the sale and use of products in the amateur market. One notable change that is already set to come into force is a reduction in the concentrate of the active ingr edients in these products. “Amateur products can still be sold with the active ingredients but in different concentrates to those used in professional rodenticides,” explains Mr Bailey


y.. Currently, in many pop


baits, the maximum concentration is 50 parts per million (ppm). However this maximum concentration will now be reduced to below 30 parts ppm. “And, as far as we understand, thi


y, , in many popular wever


r,,


his will apply to any rodent active ingredient that remains on the market,” adds Mr Bailey Th ere will also b e


ny y.. a further


reduction in the maximum pack size of products allowed for sale to amateur users, which Mr Bailey says will be “much lower” than the curr ent 1.5kg.


considered, Warfarin,


He explains that, “it’ s a movin g target in terms of these changes”, as discussions are still ongoing, and that it may depend very much on the individual product, as to when the changes or phasing out will come into place. “As we understand it,” he continues, “the end of February 2018 is the last date that products with existing labels at 50ppm active can be sold.New pr oducts at the lower active rate of below 30ppm are likely to be available ahead of Feb 2018 deadline.” The use of these active ingr edients are being assessed in terms of risk to the consumer, as well as that posed tor,, as well as that pos the environment, with reports of non- target animals ingesting the products.


ru uary the consumer www.diyweek.net nticide


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