Limiting the accidental poisoning of wild and domesticated animals due to the chemical pesticides used to control water vole outbreaks: progress to date

The use of bromadiolone to combat water vole outbreaks can result in the accidental poisoning of non-target fauna (e.g., raptors, foxes, and wild boats). Available data indicate that switching from a curative approach (applied post outbreak) to a preventative approach (applied before outbreaks occur) can limit these unintended secondary effects. In May 2014, a joint ministerial order was issued that established how bromadiolone (an anticoagulant) could be employed in agricultural settings and that promoted integrated control practices. Efforts related to these new regulations include 1) the development of a decision-making tool that can help prevent the accidental poisoning of non-target species and 2) the establishment of a new standardised monitoring regime to quantify bromadiolone's unintended secondary effects and the pesticide's accumulation in the tissues of non-target fauna.