Nine assurance schemes approved for rodenticide stewardship

Nine assurance schemes are now approved by the CRRU UK Rodenticide Stewardship Regime, following addition of Quality British Turkey to the published list.

By showing their assurance scheme certificate and personal I/D, farmers are eligible to purchase professional use rodenticides with stewardship labels, being introduced on or after 1 April.

For the period until 31 December 2017, stewardship-approved assurance schemes are:

• Red Tractor Farm Assurance (beef and lamb, dairy, combinable crops and sugar beet, fresh produce, pigs, poultry)

• Quality Meat Scotland (cattle and sheep, pigs)

• Farm Assured Welsh Livestock (beef and lamb)

• Scottish Quality Crops

• Northern Ireland Farm Quality Assurance Scheme (beef and lamb, cereals)

• British Egg Industry Council Code of Practice for Lion Eggs

• Duck Assurance Scheme (breeder replacement, breeder layers, Hatcheries, Table Birds, Free-Range Table Birds)

• Quality British Turkey

• Agricultural Industries Confederation (compound feeds, combinable crops and animal feeds)

This cornerstone of the stewardship regime applies via all suppliers including internet.

An exact date when farmers are first asked for certification cannot be specified due to phasing out old stock and introduction of stewardship-authorised products.

April to September is a transition period, during which old stock with pre-stewardship labels can still be purchased without certification for application strictly by the end of the “use by” period, while new stocks of stewardship-labelled products will require certification.

Two certain dates are 30 September 2016 when old stock sales will cease, and the next day when proof of competence and I/D will be essential.