2nd EU workshop on non-chemical alternatives for rodent control (NoCheRo): report on the 2nd NoCheRo Workshop (Brussels, 05th February 2020)
In: Dokumentationen 03/2020
The 2nd workshop on non-chemical alternatives for rodent control (NoCheRo) was organised by DG Santé, European Commission, and the German Environment Agency. At the 1 st workshop in Brussels in November 2018, rodent traps were identified as already being an integral part of professional and modern pest control. However, the lack of criteria and test methods for the efficacy and animal welfare assessment was found to be a hindering factor to consider traps as viable non-chemical alternatives to (anticoagulant) rodenticides and an obstacle for their better establishment as a pest control method on the market. As a result of the 1st workshop, a working party was established with experts from authorities, pest control industry and scientific organisations to write a technical guidance on trap testing and evaluation. For this, the working party considered test procedures based on several international test standards on animal welfare of break back/ snap killing traps. Furthermore, criteria and methods for the evaluation of effectiveness were included that are not covered by the existing international test protocols. Wherever possible, the draft guidance was based on the Guidance on the Biocidal Products Regulation Volume II Efficacy - Assessment and Evaluation, part PT 14 rodenticides (2018). A first draft for a guidance for trap testing was presented to representatives from the competent authorities on biocides, the European Commission, the scientific community, NGOs and industry during the 2nd workshop in order to identify shortcomings. Overall, the feedback on the first draft was positive. The discussions revealed some aspects which need further elaboration or a more detailed description, such as the shelf-life or use-life of traps, effects on non-target organisms, the influence of lure type in the assessment of efficacy and a good practice code for trap use. The working party will elaborate further on these aspects in order to improve the draft.