Friends of the Quantocks President, Hugh Warmington, has brought this important nature and pet health issue to our attention to share with you all.
SongBird Survival is a UK charity focused on helping to save the dramatically declining populations of songbirds across the country.
Their new research delves deeper into the well-known impact of flea and tick treatments on the environment. Their article offers suggestions of how we can help protect those environments whilst still caring for our pets.
Read on to find out more and to join in their campaign.
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Toxic pesticides from pet treatments contaminating songbirds in UK gardens
Many of us use spot-on flea and tick treatments for our dogs and cats every month without really thinking about what’s in them. But a number of these products contain pesticides that are banned for agricultural use as they are considered too toxic.
New research, funded by SongBird Survival and published today by the University of Sussex, has found these pesticides – fipronil and imidacloprid,ingredients in products such as Frontline and Advocate – in bird feathers, eggs and chicks. One study found them both in the feathers of five common garden songbirds: blackbirds, blue tits, chaffinches, dunnocks and goldfinches. The second study revealed the pesticides can transfer from contaminated fur-lined nests, sadly being found in dead chicks and unhatched eggs.
Research also continues to show widespread contamination of waterways with these pesticides, far beyond the pets they were designed to protect.
Pet owners should be able to trust that the products they use protect their pets without impacting the wider environment. That’s why, together with conservation organisations Buglife and WildFish, we’ve coordinated a letter to government, signed by over 30 scientists and conservation groups, including the RSPB, the Wildlife Trusts, BTO, Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace calling for urgent action.
UK Government ministers are currently investigating whether these products, which can currently be sold anywhere and do not require any professional advice from vets or suitably qualified persons on their use, should be restricted to distribution only by veterinary practitioners or pharmacists. We are urging the government to move them to prescription-only. This would ensure vets provide tailored advice for each pet, and unnecessary use is reduced.
What you can do right now to protect pets and save songbirds
- Don’t put fur outside if you treat your pets for fleas and ticks
- Check the product label for usage instructions
- Speak to your vet and get advice tailored to your pet
Veterinary medicines are vital for protecting animal welfare and human health. The more people understand the issue, the more people can help protect pets AND save songbirds.
Get involved in protecting songbirds from toxic pesticides. Sign up to support urgent action, receive practical advice, and help us push for safer regulation.