Open letter calls for agriculture bans to apply to veterinary medicines.

A coalition of environmental and veterinary groups has urged the Government to make it illegal for pesticides which are already banned for use on crops to be used in veterinary medicines for cats and dog.

In an open letter, the coalition highlights five pesticides – fipronil, permethrin, neonicotinoid imidacloprid, dinotefuran, and nitenpyram – which are currently banned for use on agricultural crops because of the environmental harm they cause, but which are still used in flea, tick and worm treatments.

All five chemicals are highly toxic to bees and two of them can contaminate ground water.

The Wildlife Trusts, the RSPB, and the Veterinary Poisons Information Service are among the 24 organisations which have signed the letter.

Environment Agency river water quality data, analysed by the Rivers Trust and Wildlife and Countryside Link, shows that fipronil, permethrin, and neonicotinoid imidacloprid are present at unsafe levels in English rivers.

Out of 283 river sites tested in England, 109 contain at least one of the chemicals at concentrations above the levels which the EU has proposed as safe.

Concerns about the responsible use of pesticides in veterinary medicine have been growing in recent years. A 2021 survey by the British Veterinary Association found that 98 per cent of companion animal vets worried about the environmental impact of some parasiticides.

As well as asking for the five pesticides to be banned, the letter also asks the Government to ensure that any pesticide banned for use on crops in the future is automatically banned for use in veterinary medicines.

Josie Cohen, head of policy and campaigns at Pesticide Action Newtork UK, said: “It simply makes no sense to block these chemicals from being used on crops in order to protect the environment, while allowing them to be routinely applied by millions of pet owners every month.

“If we want to tackle chemical pollution, then we urgently need to close this loophole. Where alternatives exist, which they absolutely do in the case of pet medicines, chemicals known to be harming wildlife should be taken off the market.”

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