NPTA Response to HSE Consultation on Rodenticide Use
Submission of information on:
| Name of substance: | Anticoagulant rodenticides |
| Relevant use category for lack of suitable alternatives: | ☒ House mice and rats – professional users with demonstrated competence – indoor
☒ House mice and/or rats – professional users with demonstrated competence – outdoor around buildings ☒ Rats – professional users with demonstrated competence – sewers ☐ House mice – general public – indoor ☐ Rats – general public – indoor ☐ Rats – general public – outdoor around buildings ☒ House mice and rats – professional users with demonstrated competence – permanent baiting |
| Legal name of submitter(s): | National Pest Technicians Association – NPTA LTD |
Commenting template for submitting information on the lack of suitable alternatives
Non-confidential version
Introduction
The National Pest Technicians Association (NPTA) is the UK’s longest-standing, independent trade association dedicated to the professional pest control industry. Established in 1993, the NPTA has grown to represent nearly 1,100 pest control companies and almost 3,000 professional technicians, from sole traders through to large national providers as well as manufacturers and distributers. For over 30 years, we have been the collective voice of frontline pest controllers, working to uphold professional standards, support members’ businesses, and safeguard the UK’s public health, food supply chains, and built environment from pest threats.
Rodent infestations remain a serious and growing challenge across Great Britain. In 2024, UK local authorities made almost 300,000 visits to homes to tackle pest problems, of which 91% were rodent-related (Direct Line Group, 2025). Rentokil data show rat activity up 31% and mouse activity up 32% in Q4 2024 compared to Q3 (reported by Pest Magazine, 2025). Between 2023 and mid-2025, councils recorded more than 500,000 rat infestations (Drain Detectives FOI analysis, 2025). UK businesses are estimated to have lost £12 billion over the past decade to rodent-related damage (Rentokil white paper, 2023). These figures demonstrate the increasing scale and cost of rodent infestations in the UK and underscore the critical role of effective rodent management.
Rodent infestations present serious and ongoing challenges in the UK. They spread diseases such as leptospirosis, Salmonella, and hantavirus; damage property and electrical infrastructure; and compromise food hygiene in both domestic and commercial settings. The economic and food security impacts are equally significant.
A 2023 survey by BASF (UK) found that 84% of UK farmers reported problems with rats or mice in the past year, and 40% said rodent control had become more difficult, with many attributing this to rodenticide resistance (BASF, 2023). In addition, a DEFRA-funded study on on-farm loss and waste estimated that pests and pathogens, including rodents contribute to 5–20% annual cereal productivity losses in the UK (DEFRA, 2023). These findings highlight that rodent pressure is increasing domestically, with direct consequences for food production, farm resilience, and the wider supply chain.
The current HSE consultation on second generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) therefore comes at a critical time. While all chemical interventions carry inherent risks, SGARs remain the most effective, practical, and responsible tools available to professional pest controllers.
The robust industry training framework for purchasing and using rodenticides requires completion of the RSPH Level 2 Award in the Safe Use of Rodenticides or CRRU approved equivalent qualification, ensuring compliance with The UK Rodenticide Stewardship Regime which is coordinated and led by CRRU UK. The RSPH Level 2 Award in Pest Management which is an enhanced qualification also ensures essential skills and knowledge.
Specific CPD requirements have been introduced for 2026, representing part of a wider strengthening of the The UK Rodenticide Stewardship Regime which is coordinated and led by CRRU UK. Ongoing professional development is a critical safeguard for the sector, ensuring pest controllers remain up to date with best practice, resistance management, and environmental protection measures. By embedding CPD as a formal requirement, the sector demonstrates its commitment to maintaining high professional standards and public confidence in rodenticide stewardship.
Rodent control is not a matter of convenience; it is a cornerstone of public health, food security, and infrastructure protection in Great Britain. Rodents transmit serious zoonotic diseases such as leptospirosis, Salmonella, and hantavirus, and are responsible for millions of pounds of loss from food contamination, property damage, and electrical fires every year. Effective, reliable, and scalable tools are therefore essential.
By contrast, currently available alternatives are fragmented, less effective, more costly, and carry significant risks to animal welfare and public health. Cholecalciferol is available in only two products with restricted use and as with anticoagulants is classed as an endocrine disruptor. Alphachloralose is limited to house mice and indoor use. Phosphine gas is authorised only for outdoor rodent burrow treatments and is not approved for use near buildings for rodent control.Its use requires specialist training, strict certification, and adherence to label conditions, making it unsuitable as a practical alternative in most urban or built environments (HSE, 2022).. Traps, while useful in some contexts, are labour-intensive, expensive, and raise serious welfare concerns when death is not instantaneous.
Non-chemical approaches such as habitat management, exclusion and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) are already embedded in professional practice under The UK Rodenticide Stewardship Regime which is coordinated and led by CRRU UK (CRRU, 2020; HSE, 2022). These measures including proofing, exclusion, waste management, and environmental hygiene are essential for reducing rodent pressure and are routinely applied by pest controllers. However, survey data and independent assessments confirm that these cannot control established infestations or address high rodent population pressures (Analysis of Alternatives, 2024)
Without SGARs as a core intervention, these approaches lack the speed, scalability, and reliability needed to protect public health, food supply, and infrastructure. The following sections set out the NPTA’s detailed analysis against the criteria of technical feasibility, economic feasibility, hazards and risks, availability, and suitability of alternative methods. This evidence, supported by practitioner surveys, independent studies, and regulatory data, demonstrates why SGARs remain indispensable to professional rodent control in the UK.
