Coles has removed controversial household products from its aisles and left tiny shelf notes warning staff not to restock them.
“Talk to your Department Manager for further instructions BEFORE filling,” the note reads.
In one store visited by Yahoo News, a staff member has added a sharper directive, writing “DO NOT FILL”.
The notes have been placed in front of empty shelf space in the gardening and pest control section.
Until March, some stores had filled the area with boxes of Ratsak Fast Action and Talon wax blocks, products with the active ingredient Brodifacoum.
The chemical is one of five poisons categorised as second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs).
Alternatives are still available at Coles, including salt-based Ratsak Naturals and first-generation Ratsak Double Strength.
Products such as these are considered safer for consumer use because they are less of a risk to pets and other non-target species like owls and tawny frogmouths.
Before and after photos at the Coles store at Yarraville Square highlight that Ratsak Fast Action throw packs are no longer available. Source: Yahoo News Australia
Why Coles and Woolworths removed SGARs
Coles and its rival Woolworths confirmed to Yahoo News that SGARs have been removed from stores nationwide.
The decision followed a recommendation by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) that they be declared restricted chemical products (RCPs), meaning they are not available for retail sale and can only be used by authorised or trained people.
This is now under consideration by the federal government.
In the interim period, there is a suspension of multiple SGAR products for one year from March 24, outlawing products that do not meet restrictions of size, packaging and use.
Coles confirmed it is now “reviewing the announcement along with our suppliers”.
“We can confirm that all SGAR products sold at Coles will comply with the APVMA’s restrictions and requirements during the suspension period,” it told Yahoo News.
The announcement indicates they will not be available for 12 months from the date they were suspended from sale in March.
Bunnings is continuing to sell some SGAR products, but it has committed to phasing them out by June 30. Source: Yahoo News Australia
Bunnings’ long-term plan for SGARs
During a multi-year investigation, the APVMA considered mounting evidence that SGARs were killing owls, tawny frogmouths, and even Tasmanian devils after they ate poisoned mice and rats.
It concluded SGARs pose “unacceptable risks to non-target animals” and the Department of Agriculture (DAFF) is now considering the APVMA’s recommendation.
For now, the shelf spaces at Coles and Woolworths remain empty and have not been replaced with other items.
Bunnings, which has a larger range of SGARs, is continuing to stock some products that meet the restrictions during the suspension period.
But it has a plan to remove them by June 30, around nine months ahead of the proposed RCP implementation.
It’s understood that any products that aren’t sold will be returned to the supplier or disposed of.
Conservationists who have campaigned against SGARs have viewed the proactive move as a sign the DAFF will accept the APMVA’s recommendation.
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