Slug killer will be banned across the country because of risks to hedgehogs and birds, ministers announce

A popular and lethal slug pellet is being banned by ministers after campaigners warned it could pose fatal to garden predators such as toads and hedgehogs.

Metaldehyde is a very effective slug poison, which often smells like sweet molasses but kills the gastropods which eat it.

Not only does this reduce the prey for the animals which eat slugs and snails - including hedgehogs and toads - it can build up to toxic levels in these animals, as well as pets and birds, if eaten.

Wildlife campaigners have pushed for a ban on the toxic pellets for years, and one was set to go ahead in 2019. However, after a legal challenge from a slug pellet company, plans for the legislation were put on hold.

Chiltern Farm Chemicals, the slug pellet making company which took the legal action, disputed at the time that the pellets pose a threat for non-target species.

However, the government later heard evidence from the UK Expert Committee on Pesticides (ECP) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) about the risks that metaldehyde poses to birds and mammals, and found it compelling enough for a ban.

High levels of the pesticide, which could also be harmful to aquatic life, were found in water courses earlier this month after the wet late summer caused the perfect conditions for slugs, causing a spike in pesticide use.

Now, in a bid to 'build back greener' after covid-19, ministers have revived plans and are giving businesses and gardeners until 2022 to phase out the slug pellet.

Government sources warned while slugs can cause significant damage to farmers’ crops and gardeners’ plants, pesticides containing ferric phosphate can provide effective control without carrying the same risks to wildlife as metaldehyde slug pellets.

They suggested that alternative methods of pest control also include cultural techniques like planting slug resistant crop varieties, selectively timing irrigation and harvest and sowing seeds more deeply into the soil.

Farming Minister Victoria Prentis said: “The scientific evidence is clear -  the risks metaldehyde poses to the environment and to wildlife are too great.

“The government is committed to building back greener from Coronavirus and the restrictions on the use of metaldehyde are another step towards building a cleaner and greener country for the next generation.”

Wildlife charities welcomed the ban. Ali Morse, water policy manager, The Wildlife Trusts said: “We welcome the ban.  This toxic chemical is damaging to wildlife & pets, and water companies spend huge amounts of money removing this poison from our water supplies, adding to customer bills. We work with farmers to find alternatives to this damaging chemical, but a ban will see wins for wildlife across the board.

“At home, slugs are part of the garden’s cycle of wildlife, eaten by frogs, toads and hedgehogs. If slugs are poisoned by metaldehyde it gets into the food chain for other animals, yet alternative methods can be used to control them; ideally pesticide-free products that create barriers to slugs, such as copper bands or gritty sand.”

The British Hedgehog Preservation Society has been campaigning for an end to the use of slug pellets. They said: "Many pesticides are potentially dangerous to hedgehogs and slug pellets are no exception.  Hedgehogs may eat the pellets, and they are very likely to eat the poisoned slugs and snails.

"We advise you to use garden chemicals sparingly and, if you must use slug pellets, put them inside pieces of pipe or under stones where hedgehogs can’t get at them."

They recommend instead using beer traps, copper bands, and coffee grounds in order to deter slugs without harming hedgehogs.

However, a 2018 RHS study found that no home remedies helped to get rid of slugs. The horticulturalists found copper tape, horticultural grit, pine bark mulch, wool pellets and egg shells were shown to make no difference when applied to lettuce, with gastropods inflicting the same damage to those treated with the remedies as without. They did not test beer traps, and there is some evidence manual removal of slugs from the garden is effective.