By unlocking the export potential China offers the pig industry, not to mention the red meat sector as a whole, we could gain entry into a marketplace which comprises a fifth of the world’s population.MEPs compromise over rat poison ban
FEARS that rat poison could be banned by Europe’s politicians have been allayed by the EU’s Environment Committee reaching what has been described as a ‘sensible compromise’.
The suggested ban was being pushed through by green MEPs as a means of protecting the public from toxic substances, though opponents branded the move as ‘crazy’.
However, Environment Committee members, who voted on Tuesday on regulations to ban up to 95 per cent of poisons, included a derogation for key anticoagulant rodenticides, which make up the majority of rat poisons, to be used where no alternatives are available and public health is at risk.
The MEPs decided those key anticoagulants should be used under strictly controlled conditions, and with the requirement that member states draw up plans to bring in less toxic alternatives for rodent control.
The fears over a rat poison ban stemmed out of an update to the EU Biocides Directive, which was introduced more than a decade ago to control the use of chemical substances used to kill living organisms. A clause had been inserted into the update to remove rodenticides from the market
Scottish MEP Alyn Smith praised the committee’s decision and also criticised some MEPs for running ‘one of the daftest scare campaigns of recent years’.
“The Environment Committee did the right thing on rat poisons. There was never any serious suggestion that they were going to do otherwise.
“Anticoagulants are unfortunately still needed in certain situations to bring rats under control, and that’s why the committee created a derogation.
“However, these toxins are nasty, horrible stuff, lethal to all kinds of wildlife, and we should be creating every incentive possible to develop new technologies so we can eventually see the abolition of anticoagulants.”
Scottish Tory MEP Struan Stevenson said a ban on rat poison would have affected farmers and pest controllers by removing the most effective means of controlling rodent numbers.
“This crazy plan stemmed from a complete over-reaction to the minimal danger posed by these poisons to human beings.”
The European Parliament is to vote on the committee’s decision
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Readers' comments (1)
Anonymous | 10 August 2010 1:04 pm
I hope these ghastly poisons will be banned.Many people,especially in Greece,where there are many feral cats ,put out this poison and pets have suffered torturous deaths as a result.It is also lethal to wildlife and seriously dangerous to the environment.
If it isn't banned then it needs to be controlled under license so that this cannot happen.PLEASE reconsider!
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