Record keeping requirements for wholesalers and retailers of rodenticide products

The Minister for Agriculture, Food & the Marine ( DAFM )  has now determined the records that must be maintained by wholesalers and retailers of rodenticide products. Rodenticides are products used to control rodents such as rats and mice and are regulated under the EU Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR). Rodenticides fall under Product-Type (PT) 14. Anticoagulant Rodenticides (AR) are the most widely used rodenticides and are also referred to as Anti-Vitamin K’s (AVKs) because vitamin K is the antidote for AR poisoning.  These records must be maintained for a period of at least 5 years, and be made available on request to an authorised officer of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).

Suppliers placing rodenticide products on the Irish market for professional/Trained Professional use outdoors will now be required to demonstrate that they adhere to the requirements set out in the authorisation of their products. In order to be able to authorise the use of these rodenticides for use outdoors, assurance is required that the risks arising from such use is properly managed. The DAFM have set up a register of Pest Management Trained Professional Users (PMU) to assure that trained professional use rodenticide products are being used in a safe and sustainable way that will prevent secondary poisoning of non-target organisms and development of resistance.

There will be no legal AVK product on the Irish market for General Public use, containing active substance content ≥ 30 mg/kg, after 1st March 2018. Amateur products will be sold as ready-to-use in a tamper-resistant bait box for use indoors only, they will continue to be available for sale in Hardware or DIY stores nationally. Amateur products can be purchased by amateurs, professionals or trained professionals. They do not require any form of proof at the point of sale as restrictions to the use, pack size, packaging and content of the active substance in the product already applies to reduce risk to untrained users.

From the 1^st January 2018, Pest Management Trained Professional Users offering a service for the control of rodent infestations using products authorised for use only by trained professionals outdoors, open areas and in sewers will need to provide proof of competence at the point of sale when purchasing product for use in the course of their work. This proof will be the pest controller number (PMU No.) in the format PMUxxxxxx. A PMU receives a PMU No. as a trained individual, this number is not linked to the company they work with. Pest Control companies cannot apply for a PMU No., if a Pest Control company is purchasing product for their company; they must present the PMU No’s for their trained professional staff to complete the purchase and only these PMUs can use the purchased product.

More information on the record keeping requirements for Wholesalers of professional and trained professional use rodenticides can be found here.

The Pesticide Registration & Control Division ( PRCD) of the Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine is hosting an Industry Symposium on Rodenticide Regulation and Training in Backweston Laboratory Campus on Thursday 7^thDecember 2017. This symposium will provide a detailed update on changes to the use of Anticoagulant Rodenticides as well as training courses for trained professional users. For further details, and to reserve your place, please contact: biocides@agriculture.gov.ie . Those who should attend include , the Pest control industry, Rodenticide product authorisation holders, Facilities Management Companies, Wholesalers, Retailers, as well as Food, Agriculture, Pharma, Chemical, IT, Manufacturing, Warehousing, Management Services and other sectors.