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MILJØFORSK-Miljøforskning for en grønn samfunnsomstilling

Progress to environmentally safer rodenticides

Alternative title: På vei mot mer miljøvennlige rottegifter

Awarded: NOK 11.2 mill.

Control of rodent pests worldwide relies heavily on the use of anticoagulant rodenticides. However, due to their widespread use and environmental persistence, they have demonstrated adverse effects to non-target animals, like foxes, cats, dogs, wolves, wolverines, and predatory birds like owls and hawks, worldwide. A study of wild Eurasian eagle-owls in 2018 showed anticoagulant rodenticides in 72 of 100 examined birds in Norway, some at potentially toxic levels. There is a need to shift the use of rodenticides to less persistent, but still potent, anticoagulants. The project focuses on establishing improved chemical analytical methods, so that we can gain a better understanding of the various anticoagulants and their isomeric forms. Immunological antibody-based tools such as ELISA and rapid tests will also be developed, which will help speed up and simplify the detection of suspected poisoning episodes. Studies of how anticoagulants are transported in soil are planned, and studies of how the different anticoagulants are metabolized in wild animals will be studied in vitro. The project will focus on improved monitoring and solutions leading to anticoagulants with reduced environmental impacts in the future. Analyses of the whole dataset statistically, and estimating the risk for adverse health and welfare effects in non-target populations, will give new insights and provide crucial information for governmental authorities and industrial enterprises. The ultimate goal of GreenBait is to evaluate and rank candidate rodenticides with documented toxic properties, but without the persistency of today's products as refined environmentally safer rodenticides. The GreenBait project is a collaboration between the Norwegian Veterinary Institute, NIBIO, Institute for Nature Research (NINA) AniCura, Norwegian Agricultural Advisory Service (NLR) and Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research’s Toxicology Laboratory in New Zealand.

Control of rodent pests worldwide relies heavily on the use of anticoagulant rodenticides. However, due to their widespread use and environmental persistence, they have demonstrated adverse effects to non-target animals, like foxes, cats, dogs, wolfs, wolverines, and predatory birds like owls and hawks, worldwide. A study of wild eagle owls in 2018 showed anticoagulant rodenticides in 72 of 100 examined birds in Norway, some at potentially toxic levels. There is a need to shift the use of rodenticides to less persistent, but still potent, anticoagulants. Anticoagulent rodenticides cause death by internal bleeding. The compounds predominatly in use today are a mixture of several anticoagulants, each with two diastereoisomeric forms. The biological properties of both diastereoisomers have been shown to have similar potency for inhibiting blood coagulation, but to have different tissue persistence. Consequently, the diastereoisomer with greatest tissue persistence should be associated with a greater risk of secondary poisoning. Technically, it is possible to produce baits where the most persistent isomer has been removed. Such refined anticoagulants would have decreased ecological risk for non-target animals, but still possess the same ability to kill rodents. The project will focus on improved monitoring and solutions to produce anticoagulants with reduced environmental impacts in the future. Analyses of the whole dataset statistically, and estimating the risk for adverse health and welfare effects in non-target populations, will give new insight and provide crucial information for governmental authorities and industrial enterprises. The ultimate goal of GreenBait is to evaluate and rank candidate rodenticides with documented toxic properties, but without the persistency of today's products as refined environmentally safer rodenticides.

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MILJØFORSK-Miljøforskning for en grønn samfunnsomstilling