UK Vets Urge Ban on OTC Flea Treatments With 2 Pesticides as 80% Back Sales Curbs
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jun 10
UK Vets Urge Ban on OTC Flea Treatments With 2 Pesticides as 80% Back Sales Curbs
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jun 10
Summary
A panel of UK vets told a House of Lords inquiry that over-the-counter spot-on flea treatments containing fipronil and imidacloprid should be banned and routine monthly preventive use should end.
80% of British Veterinary Association members support ending general sales, and more than 70% oppose blanket preventative treatment, according to surveys cited by senior BVA official Elizabeth Mullineaux.
The vets said the two chemicals pollute waterways even when used correctly, arguing treatment should be limited to confirmed infestations and that many clinicians have already shifted away from the products.
Defra is already weighing a ban on general sales after launching a call for evidence last month, but the panel said guidance on correct application alone will not stop contamination.
The push builds on earlier scientific evidence that fipronil and imidacloprid wash into water and harm insects at the base of the food chain; both were barred from UK agricultural use in 2017 and 2018.