Pesticide Usage in Scotland: Rodenticides on Arable Farms 2020
This report presents the results of a survey of rodenticide use on arable farms in Scotland in 2020
Appendix 1 - Estimated rodenticide use and supplementary data tables
Number of occurrences of each rodenticide formulation and percentage of total occurrences
| Formulation | Number of occurrences | Percentage of total specified occurrences |
|---|---|---|
| Brodifacoum | 381 | 7 |
| Bromadiolone | 2,655 | 47 |
| Bromadiolone/difenacoum(1) | 61 | 1 |
| Coumatetralyl(1) | 28 | <1 |
| Difenacoum | 2,455 | 44 |
| Difethialone(1) | 37 | <1 |
| Unspecified Rodenticide(2) | 1,610 | |
| Total (excluding unspecified use) | 5,618 | |
| FGARs(3) | 28 | <1 |
| SGARs(4) | 5,589 | >99 |
(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.
(3) First generation anticoagulant compounds: coumatetralyl.
(4)Second generation anticoagulant compounds: brodifacoum, bromadiolone, difenacoum, difethialone.
Weight of rodenticides applied (kg), expressed as formulations (combination of active substances) and products (active substances, bait and other co-formulants)
| Formulation | Formulation weight | Product weight | |
|---|---|---|---|
| kg | kg | Percentage of total specified use | |
| Brodifacoum | 0.07 | 1,675 | 3 |
| Bromadiolone | 1.48 | 29,659 | 48 |
| Bromadiolone/difenacoum(1) | 0.05 | 955 | 2 |
| Coumatetralyl(1) | 0.01 | 29 | <1 |
| Difenacoum | 1.46 | 29,204 | 47 |
| Difethialone(1) | 0.01 | 202 | <1 |
| Total(2) | 3.08 | 61,723 | |
| FGARs(3) | 0.01 | 29 | <1 |
| SGARs(4) | 3.07 | 61,695 | >99 |
(1) Estimates are based on <10 occurrences in the sample and should therefore be treated with caution.
(2) Not including unspecified rodenticides.
(3) First generation anticoagulant compounds: coumatetralyl.
(4)Second generation anticoagulant compounds: brodifacoum, bromadiolone, difenacoum, difethialone.
Response to questions regarding training and compliance with best practice of rodenticide use provided by farmers and pest control professionals responsible for rodenticide baiting on the surveyed farms
| Question | Percentage yes response | |
|---|---|---|
| Farmer (n=78)(1) | PCPs (n=25)(2) | |
| 1) Have you attended a training course on rodenticide use?(3) | *49 | *100 |
| 2) Are quantity and location of baits recorded? | 99 | 100 |
| 3) Are bait points protected from non-target animals? | 100 | 100 |
| 4) Is bait regularly inspected? | 100 | 100 |
| 5) Is bait removed after targeted baiting periods? | 65 | 64 |
| 6) Are rodent carcasses searched for and removed?(4) | 91 | 96 |
(1) Not all farmers returned compliance data. These farmers represent 94 per cent of the 83 farmers who conducted their own rodenticide baiting during this survey.
(2) Not all PCPs returned compliance data. These 25 PCPs represented 69 per cent of the contractors encountered during this survey and collectively conducted baiting on 61 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) Seventy farmers gave a response in relation to carcass disposal method. The most common method was burying (56 per cent), incineration (29 per cent), others included landfill (nine per cent), and disposal in dung middens (one per cent). Twenty-four PCPs gave a response in relation to carcass disposal method. The most common method was incineration (46 per cent), burying (42 per cent), collection by a waste contractor (eight per cent) and landfill (four per cent).
* Responses marked with an asterisk are significantly different between famers and PCPs (P<0.001).
| Question | Percentage yes response | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| All farms (n=268)(1) | Farms using rodenticides (n=221) | Farms not using rodenticides (n=47)(1) | |
| 1) Is your farm a member of a quality assurance scheme | 96 | *99 | *85 |
| 2) Is livestock kept on your farm? | 55 | 57 | 45 |
| 3) Do you have a pig unit on your farm? | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 4) Do you have a poultry unit on your farm? | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 5) Do you have a grain store? | 62 | *67 | *34 |
* Responses marked with an asterisk are significantly different between farms that did and did not use rodenticides (P<0.001).
| Question | Percentage yes response (n=78)(1) |
|---|---|
| 1) Are you aware of the rodenticide stewardship scheme? | 87 |
| 2a) Have you completed a stewardship compliant training course? | 28 |
| 2b) If no, do you intend to complete a stewardship compliant training course in the future? | 9 |
| 3) When you last purchased rodenticides did you: | |
| 3a) Show a certificate of competence/training in rodenticide use | 26 |
| 3b) Demonstrate membership of a compliant quality assurance scheme | 72 |
| 3c) Purchase non-professional/amateur rodenticides (<1.5 kg pack) | 0 |
(1) Not all farmers responded to stewardship questions. These farmers represent 94% of the 83 farmers who conducted their own rodenticide baiting during this survey.
Contact
Email: psu@sasa.gov.scot
There is a problem
Thanks for your feedback