The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) has lodged a submission to the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) as part of its reconsideration of anticoagulant rodenticides used in Australia.
The review focuses particularly on second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs), which are widely used to control rodents but have been associated with unintended harm to wildlife, companion animals and the environment.
In its submission, the AVA supports stronger regulation of SGARs and emphasises that veterinarians regularly see the real-world consequences of rodenticide exposure in clinical practice. These include cases involving dogs and cats that ingest bait directly, as well as wildlife affected through secondary poisoning after consuming contaminated rodents.
The AVA notes that SGARs are currently available “off the shelf” in Australia with limited restrictions, which differs from regulatory settings in several other countries where tighter controls have been introduced to reduce ecological and animal welfare risks.
To address these concerns, the AVA made a number of recommendations in addition to the measures proposed by the APVMA.
Read the full AVA submission here.