Farmers, Hobbyists & Farm Store Customers

The EPA has proposed changes that will eliminate more than 90% of the chemical rodent control options you currently have access to… making your ability to maintain control more expensive and difficult.

Rodents are a major threat to farms and farm operations. The primary form of control used in these situations, bulk rodenticides, will be reclassified by EPA to "RESTRICTED USE" status.

This means you will need a special license just to purchase those products in the future. And your local farm store retailer will likely not be able to sell them to you if you did.

Rodent populations & food contamination is increasing – this will make it worse.

LIMITED OPTIONS

Are Snap Traps and Glue Boards ENOUGH?

IMPACT

Lack of Control

Making bulk rodenticides into RUP items will cause already struggling farmers to lose complete control of the rodent population plaguing them at their farms. Snap traps and glue boards will not be able to provide the level of control needed for the current and growing population of rodents.
If glue traps and snap traps are the only means for a hobbyist or farmer to control rodents, most will not have the staffing/manpower to monitor the excessive number of traps needed to do what rodenticide was able to do with little effort. Average cost for bulk bait is about $0.40 per chunx. Disposable mouse bait stations average $2.50 each, while disposable rat bait stations average $8.00 each. This means farmers will have to pay 6 times as more for mouse bait and 20 times more for rat rodenticides.
The annual cost for replacing refillable bait stations and bulk bait with disposable bait stations will be at least 6 times as much as the average farmer is currently paying. This isn't a cost-of-living increase of 1-3%.

Licenses

Most small farmers and hobbyists do not have the licensing to purchase RUP (restricted use pesticides) products. They may not have the training to obtain the required license.
Also, majority of their farming purchases are made at the local agriculture store. Not all agriculture stores sell RUP products, making it even more difficult to obtain the rodenticides needed to control the population. This means if you ARE able to get a license, you may have to travel far to be able to purchase RUP from a retailer.
Paperwork and record keeping must be meticulous and kept safe. This will add additional time and space for record protection. Currently, most small farmers or hobbyists do not have the systems to support the required reporting compliance of RUPs.

Contract Farms

Contract farms are family run farms that are contracted by larger corporations to raise their livestock or grow to crop. They do not have the added income to add additional costs for rodent control.
They can't afford to hire an applicator or may not be able to afford the PPE/licensing expenses required to certify someone on their current labor workforce. They typically buy all their farming supplies from the local agricultural store which under the proposed regulations would only include a one-time use disposable bait station.
The only other alternative to use rodenticides is to hire a professional who is licensed to apply the bait which will be significantly more expensive.