CONCERNED Mundaring residents and experts are calling on the shire to restrict or ban the use or sale of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGAR).

Darlington Resident and Ratepayer Association chairperson Louise Stelfox said she had observed a noticeable absence of boobook owls in her area.

“From 2015 to 2022, I went to sleep with the sound of boobook owls calling,’’ Ms Stelfox said.

“The nights are now silent.’’

The motion was raised by councillor John Daw who said SGARs were scientifically proven to be the cause of death of some native wildlife.

“They are much more dangerous than the traditional types of rat poisons,” he said.

“Anyone, a child could even go and buy this deadly poison at a shop in Western Australia.”

Cr Daw called on the council to support the Australian Local Government Association’s (ALGA) motion to restrict or ban the use of SGARs.

In order for the motion to go before the ALGA national general assembly (NGA), it must first be endorsed by council.

If the motion goes before the NGA, the assembly can call on the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) to take the necessary action and address the issue at the federal level.

Edith Cowan University associate professor Rob Davis spoke at the April council meeting in support of Cr Daw’s motion.

Under Dr Davis’ supervision, PhD student Mike Lohr studied owls and found 75 per cent of boobook owls had potentially lethal levels of rodenticide in their livers.

“Which means, if not killed by the poisons, they were going to be in the near future,” Dr Davis said.

Dr Davis said the reason why the second-generation rodenticide was created was because rats in Europe and North America evolved and resisted the first generation.

“They came up with even nastier ones.

“They last a very long time, so they take up to a year, perhaps, to break down.”

Dr Davis said SGAR is so readily available for purchase because government bodies have allowed it to be.
He said the United States, and parts of Europe and Asia have banned SGARs.

“I would go as far as saying (Australia) may be the last developed nation that still allows consumers to walk into a shop and buy these products.

“Unfortunately, retailers like Bunnings and supermarkets have told us that they will keep selling them because they’re legally permitted to,” Dr Davis said.

According to the APVMA, “SGARs are not approved for use in crops, in the open, or in other areas accessible to non-target animals or children.”

Dr Davis said no one monitors the use of SGARs and it’s up to consumers to read the box.

“But I would ask you, ‘how many people read that box?’,” he said.

An APVMA spokesperson said a review of the first and second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides commenced in 2021.

“Comprehensive environmental and human health risk assessments are currently underway,” the spokesperson said.
“We expect to publish a proposed decision in July 2025 for public consultation.”

Dr Davis said the only suitable outcome is for the federal regulator to place a ban on the consumer sale of SGARs.

He called on consumers to look out for the active ingredient brodifacoum, which he said was constantly picked up in their analyses as being the real problem.

“I think the most powerful message to the readers is, this is actually a problem everyone at home can solve.
“All you have to do is not buy those products.”

If this happens, Dr Davis said supermarkets will stop supplying it.