Gamekeepers are primary custodians of large tracts of the UK landscape and its wildlife. Upholding this responsibility requires two particular factors to be addressed:
- Game bird rearing locations are a magnet for rats.
- Those locations are rich in at-risk wildlife.
Controlling rodents without putting wildlife at risk is a big part of that responsibility. A number of things are available to help the gamekeeping community play its part in rodenticide stewardship:
- Full list of training courses here, including one developed by gamekeeping organisations in conjunction with CRRU
- Advising employers or land agents, assertively and persuasively, against ‘just-in-case’ permanent baiting
- Taking opportunities to set a good example consistently to colleagues, clients and other shoots