Pesticide Usage in Scotland: Rodenticides on Grassland and Fodder Farms 2021
This report presents the results of a survey of rodenticide use on grassland and fodder farms in Scotland in 2021.
Appendix 1: Estimated rodenticide use and supplementary data tables
| Formulation | Number of occurrences | Percentage of total specified occurrences |
|---|---|---|
| Alphachloralose(1) | 37 | <1 |
| Brodifacoum | 698 | 6 |
| Bromadiolone | 6,061 | 51 |
| Bromadiolone/Difenacoum(1) | 38 | <1 |
| Cholecalciferol(1) | 19 | <1 |
| Coumatetralyl(1) | 43 | <1 |
| Difenacoum | 4,801 | 40 |
| Difethialone(1) | 186 | 2 |
| Flocoumafen(1) | 65 | <1 |
| Warfarin(1) | 23 | <1 |
| Unspecified Rodenticide(2) | 1,390 | 12 |
| Total (excluding unspecified use) | 11,972 | |
| FGARs(3) | 66 | <1 |
| SGARs(4) | 11,850 | 99 |
| Non-anticoagulant(5) | 56 | <1 |
(1) Estimates are based on <10 occurrences in the sample and should therefore be treated with caution
(2) Rodenticides are recorded as unspecified when use has been recorded but product information is not available (refer to Appendix 3)
(3) First generation anticoagulant compounds: coumatetralyl, warfarin
(4) Second generation anticoagulant compounds: brodifacoum, bromadiolone, difenacoum, difethialone, flocoumafen
(5) Non-anticoagulant rodenticide compounds: alphachloralose, cholecalciferol
| Formulation | Formulation weight | Product weight | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kg | Kg | Percentage of total specified use | |
| Alphachloralose(1) | 2.12 | 53 | <1 |
| Brodifacoum | 0.16 | 3,485 | 4 |
| Bromadiolone | 2.60 | 52,024 | 61 |
| Bromadiolone/Difenacoum(1) | 0.00 | 75 | <1 |
| Cholecalciferol(1) | 0.04 | 53 | <1 |
| Coumatetralyl(1) | 0.06 | 167 | <1 |
| Difenacoum | 1.40 | 28,166 | 33 |
| Difethialone(1) | 0.02 | 837 | 1 |
| Flocoumafen(1) | 0.01 | 243 | <1 |
| Warfarin(1) | 0.04 | 73 | <1 |
| Total(2) | 6.45 | 85,175 | |
| FGARs(3) | 0.10 | 240 | <1 |
| SGARs(4) | 4.19 | 84,829 | >99 |
| Non-anticoagulant(5) | 2.16 | 106 | <1 |
(1) Estimates are based on <10 occurrences in the sample and should therefore be treated with caution
(2) Excluding unspecified rodenticides (refer to Appendix 3)
(3) First generation anticoagulant compounds: coumatetralyl, warfarin
(4) Second generation anticoagulant compounds: brodifacoum, bromadiolone, difenacoum, difethialone, flocoumafen
(5) Non-anticoagulant rodenticide compounds: alphachloralose, cholecalciferol
| Question | Percentage yes response | |
|---|---|---|
| Farmer(1) | PCPs(2) | |
| 1) Have you attended a training course on rodenticide use?(3) | *25 (n=129) | *100 (n=30) |
| 2) Are quantity and location of baits recorded? | 94 (n=130) | 100 (n=30) |
| 3) Are bait points protected from non-target animals? | 99 (n=132) | 100 (n=30) |
| 4) Is bait regularly inspected? | 98 (n=132) | 100 (n=30) |
| 5) Is bait removed after targeted baiting periods? | 65 (n=130) | 76 (n=29) |
| 6) Are rodent carcasses searched for and removed?(4) | 82 (n=131) | 100 (n=30) |
| 7) Use of non-toxic indicator baits to monitor rodent activity? | *2 (n=131) | *63 (n=30) |
(1) Not all farmers returned compliance data and some responses were only partial. There were a total of 136 farmers who conducted their own rodenticide baiting during this survey. The number of farmers responding to each question are provided in brackets to give context to the percentage yes response
(2) Not all PCPs returned compliance data. Thirty PCPs returned some compliance data, this represented 71 per cent of the contractors encountered during this survey and collectively conducted baiting on 59 per cent of those farms using a PCP
(3) Training uptake by farmer here refers to all rodenticide use training, this differs from that reported in Table 5 which only records training that is compliant with rodenticide stewardship and allows professional rodenticide products to be purchased
(4) 104 farmers gave a response in relation to carcass disposal method, although five per cent stated they never saw any carcases; of those who did see carcases, the most common methods were burying (55 per cent) and incineration (29 per cent). Other methods included landfill and disposal with fallen stock (15 and one per cent respectively). Please note five farmers used more than one disposal method. Twenty six PCPs supplied disposal methods, the most common was burial (42 per cent) followed by incineration (36 per cent), removal by a waste contractor (14 per cent) and landfill (eight per cent). Eight PCPs use more than one disposal method.
* Responses marked with an asterisk indicate very strong evidence of a statistical difference in response between famers and PCPs (p-value ≤ 0.001)
| Question | Percentage yes response | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| All farms (n=594)(1) | Farms using rodenticides (n=280)(1) | Farms not using rodenticides (n=314)(1) | |
| 1) Is your farm a member of a quality assurance scheme? | 75 | *93 | *60 |
| 2) Is livestock kept on your farm? | 91 | *96 | *87 |
| 3) Do you have a pig unit on your farm? | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 4) Do you have a poultry unit on your farm? | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| 5) Do you have a grain store? | 19 | *30 | *9 |
(1) Not all farmers returned farm operation data. These data represent 99 per cent of the farms sampled overall, 99 per cent of those using rodenticide and 98 per cent of those not using rodenticides
* Responses marked with an asterisk are significantly different between farms that used and did not use rodenticides (p-value ≤ 0.001)
| Question | Percentage yes response(1) |
|---|---|
| 1) Are you aware of the rodenticide stewardship scheme? | 54 (n=123) |
| 2a) Have you completed a stewardship compliant training course? | 17 (n=127) |
| 2b) If no, do you intend to complete a stewardship compliant training course in the future? | 21 (n=119) |
| 3) When you last purchased rodenticides did you: | |
| 3a) Show a certificate of competence/training in rodenticide use | 16 (n=128) |
| 3b) Demonstrate membership of a compliant quality assurance scheme | 78 (n=128) |
| 3c) Purchase non-professional/amateur rodenticides (<1.5 kg pack) | 9 (n=128) |
1) Not all farmers responded to all stewardship questions. There were a total 136 farmers who conducted their own rodenticide baiting during this survey. The number of farmers responding to each question are provided in brackets to give context to the percentage yes response
Contact
Email: psu@sasa.gov.scot
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