Speak Up for Wildlife

An Act Relative to Pesticides
Bill H.825 | 193^rd General Court
Committee: Environment and Natural Resources

By Representative Hawkins of Attleboro, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 825) of James K. Hawkins and others relative to pesticides

[‑] This legislation would monitor and reduce the use of Second Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides (SGARs) in Massachusetts to protect wildlife and pets.

A study published in 2011 showed that 86% of 161 birds of prey had some form of SGARs in their liver tissue. A later study found rates of 96%.

SGARs are a particularly toxic group of poisons used as a form of rodent control. These poisons, when ingested, prevent the clotting of blood, and cause the animal that ingested it to sustain heavy internal bleeding, which eventually causes death.

SGARs remain in a dead or dying rodent's system for days. The poison then impacts non-targeted pets and wildlife populations, such as birds of prey, that rely on the poisoned rodents as a food source. As a result, the cats and dogs, hawks, eagles, owls, and bobcats that are exposed often suffer the same fatal hemorrhaging as their meal. Source (PDF).

This bill will require:

Increased use of Integrated Pest Management strategies in Massachusetts.
Digitization of pesticide use forms to allow for better data collection and monitoring.
The Department to make pesticide data use in the Commonwealth available annually.

What Can You Do?

Urge your state legislator to support An Act Relative to Pesticides today! We are overdue for passage of this critically-needed bill, which would better regulate the use of anticoagulant rodenticides and encourage safer pest control methods.