Week 19 Lecture: Pest and Predator Control Study Guide

Definitions and Core Concepts of Pest and Predator Control

• Pest: Defined as a nuisance species that damages crops, injures or irritates livestock, or reduces the fertility of the land. The term is derived from the Latin word $pestis$, meaning plague.

• Predator: Defined as an organism that hunts and kills other organisms for food.

• Pest and Predator Control: Generally refers to the regulation or management of a species. It encompasses activities undertaken to:

  • Protect agricultural crops, livestock, forestry, or the natural environment.

  • Protect game and wildlife, which is considered a critical component of conservation.

  • Protect public health and/or safety.

  • Manage human-species conflicts.

Broad Management Strategies for Human-Species Conflicts

• Co-existence: Living with impacting species. This approach may involve:

  • Payment of compensation or subsidies for economic loss.

  • Acceptance of losses.

  • Maintaining protection for specific species (e.g., farmers on Islay are paid compensation for Barnacle geese ($Branta leucopsis$) and Ross's Goose ($Anser rossii$)).

• Displacement: Moving the impacting species through:

  • Removal or translocation.

  • Provision of alternative habitats away from the principal location of conflict.

• Controlling Numbers (Lethal Methods): Control of impacts through culls, such as shooting, in accordance with legislation and codes of practice.

• Controlling Numbers (Non-lethal Methods): Includes methods such as:

  • Exclusion techniques.

  • Provision of diversionary food or other resources.

Legislation Regarding Spring Traps in England and Wales

• Pest Act $1954$: Spring traps must be approved under this act.

• Spring Traps Approval Order $1995$: Approves specific traps, the species to be controlled, and conditions for use.

• October $2007$ Variation: Added $7$ new traps and approved $3$ for killing edible dormouse ($Glis glis$) under licence.

• October $2009$ Variation (England): Added American mink ($Neovison vison$) and rabbit to the DOC $200$ and DOC $250$ traps.

• Spring Traps Approval Order $2012$: Revokes and replaces the $1995$ Order.

• March $2016$ Variation (England): Added three types of spring trap:

  • KORO Large Rodent Double Coil Spring Snap Trap (for grey squirrel and rat).

  • KORO Rodent Snap Trap (for rat and weasel).

  • Procull Trap (for grey squirrel).

• Spring $2018$: Defra undertook a public consultation on the implementation of the Agreement on International Humane Trapping Standards (AIHTS).

• Specific mandates under the Pest Act $1954$, Section $8$: It is illegal to permit the use of an unapproved spring trap, use an approved trap in unapproved circumstances, or sell/possess a spring trap for unlawful purposes.

Agreement on International Humane Trapping Standards (AIHTS) and Stoat Control

• The Tully trap is to be added to the Approval Order as soon as possible.

• Deadline for the removal of many traps approved for use against stoats was $1^{\text{st}} \text{ April } 2020$.

• Stoat Trapping Licenses (England/Wales):

  • GL38 (Conserve wild birds): Used for game birds, native wader species, and other native ground-nesting birds.

  • GL39 (Prevent serious damage to livestock): Used for domestic poultry, waterfowl, captive game birds/wildfowl in pens, and farmed rabbits.

  • General Licence $19$ ($2021$): Trap Eurasian stoat to prevent damage to livestock.

  • General Licence $20$ ($2021$): Trap Eurasian stoat for bird conservation.

• Approved Stoat Traps: DOC $150$, DOC $200$, DOC $250$, Tully Trap, Goodnature A24 (rat and stoat captive bolt kill trap), and Perdix spring trap.

• Perdix mink live capture cage trap is also listed.

• Operational Requirements: Traps must be used in a manner that minimises the likelihood of killing or injuring non-target species. This includes setting traps in natural or artificial tunnels suitable for the purpose.

Wildlife Protection and Animal Welfare Acts

• Wildlife & Countryside Act $1981$, Section $11$ (Mammals): Illegal to set any trap calculated to cause bodily injury to animals listed in Schedule $6$, including the badger, red squirrel, hedgehog, and polecat.

• Wildlife & Countryside Act $1981$, Section $5$ (Birds): Illegal to set a device (trap, snare, hook and line) calculated to cause bodily injury to any wild bird coming into contact with it.

• Animal Welfare Act $2006$, Section $2$ ("Protected animal"): Defined as an animal commonly domesticated in the British Islands, under the control of man (permanent or temporary), and not living in a wild state.

• Animal Welfare Act $2006$, Section $4$ ("Unnecessary suffering"): It is an offence if an act or failure to act causes unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, and the person knew or should have known the effect.

Grey Squirrel and Rodenticide Control

• Grey Squirrel ($Sciurus carolinensis$) Poison Ban:

  • $30^{\text{th}} \text{ September } 2014$: EU licence for Warfarin (first-generation anticoagulant) as grey squirrel bait ended.

  • $1^{\text{st}} \text{ January } 2018$: Professional rodenticides only purchasable by those in compliant assurance schemes or with approved training.

• Wildlife & Countryside Act $1981$, Schedule $9$: It is illegal to release a grey squirrel into the wild.

• Biocidal Products Regulations: Strictly control anticoagulant and non-anticoagulant rodenticides to minimize primary and secondary poisoning of non-target species.

• Rodenticide Resistance:

  • Widespread evidence of resistance to A and B group rodenticides in the UK.

  • The RRAG heat map (updated every $2$ years by APHA) tracks resistance trends.

Control of Foxes and American Mink

• Shooting Foxes ($Vulpes vulpes$):

  • Night shooting: Traditionally uses centrefire rifles and high-powered lamps for "eye-shine." Red filters are used to reduce startling.

  • Luring: Calls (hand, man-made, or electronic) mimic prey species to entice foxes.

  • Safety: Requires a safe backstop, safe arc of fire, and appropriate firearm/ammunition combinations.

  • Equipment: Thermal imaging and night vision (infrared) have nearly replaced lamps for better effectiveness.

• Control of American Mink ($Neovison vison$):

  • Present since the $1950s$ (first recorded wild breeding).

  • Impact: Decimate native species such as water voles and kingfishers.

  • Methods: Trapping (cage or spring traps) and shooting are the only effective removal methods. Mink rafts are frequently used for monitoring and trapping.

Snare and Cable Restraint Legislation

• Controversy: Opposition groups focus on risks to non-target species, strangulation, and entanglement.

• Wildlife & Countryside Act $1981$, Section $11$ (Snares):

  • Illegal to set "self-locking" snares (though not legally defined).

  • Illegal to set a snare calculated to cause injury to Schedule $6$ animals.

  • Requirement: Snares must be inspected at least once a day (preferably twice).

• Modern Standards (England): Use of code-compliant "cable restraint devices" designed with breakaways and a maximum constriction of $26\,cm$.

• Regional Bans: Banned in Wales ($2023$), banned in Scotland ($December \, 2024$), and likely to be banned in England by $2026$.

Bird Control and General Licences (GL)

• General Licence System: Operational since $January \, 1993$, providing an annual derogation from the Birds Directive for all-year-round control.

• Authorized Persons: Owners, occupiers, or persons authorized by them or local authorities can carry out control via shooting, cage traps, or destruction of nests/eggs.

• Non-Native Bird Species list: Canada Goose ($Branta canadensis$), Egyptian Goose ($Alopochen aegyptiacus$), Monk Parakeet ($Myiopsitta monachus$), Ring-necked Parakeet ($Psittacula krameri$), Sacred Ibis ($Threskiornis aethiopicus$), and Indian House Crow ($Corvus splendens$).

• Common Pest Birds: Carrion Crow ($Corvus corone$), Magpie ($Pica pica$), Rook ($Corvus frugilegus$), Jackdaw ($Coloeus monedula$), Jay ($Garrulus glandarius$), Woodpigeon ($Columba palumbus$), and Feral Pigeon ($Columba livia$).

• Regional Specifics (2025/2026):

  • England: GL40 (Conservation), GL41 (Public health/safety), GL42 (Prevent serious damage), GL43 (Inland fisheries). Herring gull, collared dove, and lesser black-backed gull were removed in $2019$.

  • Scotland: GL01 (Conservation), GL02 (Serious damage to livestock/crops), GL03 (Health/safety). Traps must be registered with NatureScot.

  • Wales: GL001 (Damage to crops/livestock), GL002 (Public health), GL004 (Conservation of wild birds), GL005 (Ruddy duck management). Note: Licences are invalid within $300\,m$ of 203 protected sites (or $500\,m$ for Dyfi Estuary SSSI).

Cage Trap Operational Standards and Welfare

• Decoy Birds: Only carrion crow, jackdaw, jay, magpie, and rook are permitted as decoys (plus parakeets in England).

• General Welfare Provisions (Animal Welfare Act $2006$):

  • Operator has a "duty of care" for captive animals.

  • Must provide adequate food, water, suitable shelter, and a suitable perch.

  • Inspection: Must be physically inspected at least once every day at intervals not exceeding $24$ hours.

  • Non-use: When not in use, traps must be rendered incapable of holding birds (doors removed or secured).