Rats (Rodent Rampage)
Rats are becoming an increasing problem and as such we need to accept them as a real problem to not only our livestock but our health. A recent survey by the National Pest Technicians Association, dealing principally with urban and suburban populations, there is it seems in practice also a similar rise in rural areas.
The rat population increased by 13% in 2006, which contributes to an overall increase of 39% since 1999. More worrying, is the increase in the presence of 'Summer rats', when normally they would be non-visible in the field and hedgerow, of 22%, or an overall rise in the Summer sightings of 69% in the past seven years.
Over this period we have changed from normal high sales of rat poison during the winter months to continuous sales throughout the year.
I appreciate that the keeping of poultry is constantly blamed for an increase in local rat population and there is a little truth in this where producers are careless in their approach to waste feed and ignoring or rather accepting that whatever they do, rats will always be a problem. This could not be further from the truth in that where poultry are kept in a clean and healthy environment, when a problem occurs it can be dealt with immediately.
The greatest problem is council tips, over feeding of wild birds as well as those putting down food for foxes, wild cats or badgers. Townies come smallholders whose lack of good husbandry together with their belief that rats are part of the scene, compost heaps and the lack of, or rather due to legislation, the inability of rat catchers to mix their own more effective poisons, offer rats a charmed life with the spread of human infective diseases.
There should be no let up in the frequency of baiting and all smallholders, gardeners and animal lovers are strongly advised to back up any rodent control programmes they have, with their own, added measures. Only too often I am told, usually by householders that they do not bait frequently, or are not too worried if they see one or two rats on their premises.
