Published on Tuesday, 31 March 2026 at 3:36:30 PM
Shire of Mundaring is proud to support the Owl Friendly initiative, encouraging residents to take action to help protect our local wildlife and natural environment.
Our Land for Wildlife Officer Danielle Crichton provided the following update so you can stay across the latest developments in Rodenticide Regulation.
The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) is the federal regulator that approves and oversees pesticides and rodent control chemicals in Australia.
In March 2026, the APVMA officially certified that second‑generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) – the most potent and long‑lasting rodent poisons – pose an “unacceptable risk” to non‑target animals, including native wildlife such as owls, quenda, possums and other predators that eat poisoned rodents. As part of this, the APVMA has recommended that products containing SGARs be declared restricted chemical products, meaning they will no longer be freely sold to the general public and will instead be limited to trained and licensed users.
This reflects years of scientific review and community concern about the harm these poisons cause through secondary poisoning. SGAR chemicals remain in animal tissues for long periods, and wildlife that eat poisoned rodents often end up sick, impaired or dead. As a result of the APVMA’s decision, major retailers such as hardware and supermarket chains have already begun removing these products from store shelves ahead of tighter controls.
The move does not ban all rodent control products. First‑generation anticoagulants and other lower‑risk tools will continue to be available, and residents are encouraged to use safer pest control methods such as traps, bait stations and low‑risk baits to protect both homes and wildlife. Safer choices include the active ingredients warfarin and coumatetralyl; please avoid brodifacoum, bromadiolone, and difenacoum.
This regulatory shift is one of the most significant changes to rodenticide rules in Australia in years, and it aligns with community calls to reduce wildlife harm.
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