Sale of rat poisons could be restricted to protect Australian wildlife

Regulator recommends rodenticides be removed from Bunnings and supermarkets shelves and sold only to licensed professionals Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Widely available rat poisons could be removed from shelves at Australian supermarkets and other retailers after a federal regulator recommended they be declared a restricted product. It is a win for conservationists and scientists who for years have called for rodenticides to be banned or highly restricted due to their impact on wildlife. Native animals including tawny frogmouths, powerful owls and quolls have been found dead after eating poisoned rats and mice. The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority said it was in the public interest for chemical products containing any second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides – known as SGARS – to be declared restricted chemical products. If accepted by federal and state governments, the declaration would limit access to the poisons to licensed professionals. Retailers including Bunnings, Coles and Woolworths would no longer be able to sell them. It follows the authority agreeing in Dec