Farmers should still be able to use strychnine to kill ground squirrels until there are “practical and effective alternative controls,” says the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association.

Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) is proposing to remove the registration of liquid strychnine use for the control of ground squirrels.

The animals not only cause crop losses but also damage hay binds and their burrows pose an injury risk to livestock.

In its submission to the PMRA, “the CCA pointed out that what is needed is the development of an anticoagulant toxicant bait where a small amount consumed in a single feeding by the rodent would be a sufficient control.”