Farm Rodent Control and the 2026 Certification Rule
Downland’s Ratta range, stocked at Ayr, Kinross, Lanark & Stirling — and the thing that changed on 1 January 2026, which is that farm assurance membership is no longer enough to buy a professional rodenticide.
What Changed on 1 January 2026
Until the end of 2025 most farmers bought professional rodenticides on the strength of their farm assurance membership. Being in a CRRU-approved scheme — QMS, Red Tractor or similar — was accepted at the till as proof of competence.
That route closed on 1 January 2026. Under the UK Rodenticide Stewardship Regime, anyone buying or using a professional-use rodenticide now has to show one of two things at the point of sale, and there are no exceptions:
- a CRRU UK-approved training certificate gained within the last five years, or
- an older CRRU-approved certificate plus current membership of a CRRU UK-approved CPD scheme.
Which means we have to ask, every time. It is not us being difficult and it is not a McCaskie policy — it is the condition on which we are allowed to sell the product at all.
If you have not got a certificate, get one before you need bait. The certificates accepted at the till are the City & Guilds NPTC Level 2 Award in Safe Use of Pesticides for Vertebrate Pest Control for Rats and Mice, the Lantra Awards Level 2 Award in Rodent Management, the Open Awards Level 2 Award in the Principles of Rodent Control, the RSPH Level 2 Award in the safe use of rodenticides, and BPCA Using Rodenticides Safely with the exam through Lantra. Most are online and take a few hours. Ring the store if you want to know which one is easiest to get hold of just now.
Downland Ratta
Ratta is Downland’s own rodent control range and it is what we keep. Ratta + Difenagrain is a whole wheat bait with difenacoum at 0.005% and an aniseed attractant, for rats and mice in and around buildings, authorisation UK-2013-0705. It comes in 100g sachets by the box, and loose from 3kg up to 20kg. Ratta + Bromagrain is the bromadiolone equivalent. Bait stations, traps, monitoring blocks and proofing materials come from the same range.
Rotating between actives is not the point — using enough bait, in enough places, for long enough is. Most failed baiting jobs on farm are not resistance, they are too few bait points emptied too rarely, or a bait that has been sitting out so long nothing wants it.
What we will not do is guess a rate for you. How much bait, where and for how long depends on the building, the burden and the non-target species around it, and the CRRU code sets out what responsible baiting looks like. Bring the problem to the counter and an SQP will go through it with you.
Rodent Control Questions
Do farmers still need a certificate to buy rat poison in 2026?
Yes. From 1 January 2026 anyone buying or using a professional-use rodenticide has to show either a CRRU UK-approved training certificate gained within the last five years, or an older CRRU-approved certificate plus current membership of a CRRU-approved CPD scheme. There are no exceptions.
Does my QMS or Red Tractor membership still count for buying rodenticide?
No. Farm assurance scheme membership was an accepted route until the end of 2025 and is no longer sufficient on its own. You need one of the recognised training certificates instead.
Which rodenticide training certificates are accepted at the till?
City & Guilds NPTC Level 2 Award in Safe Use of Pesticides for Vertebrate Pest Control for Rats and Mice, Lantra Awards Level 2 Award in Rodent Management, Open Awards Level 2 Award in the Principles of Rodent Control, RSPH Level 2 Award in the safe use of rodenticides, and BPCA Using Rodenticides Safely with the exam taken through Lantra.
What is in Downland Ratta?
Ratta + Difenagrain is a whole wheat bait containing difenacoum at 0.005 per cent with an aniseed attractant, authorisation UK-2013-0705, for rats and mice in and around buildings. Ratta + Bromagrain is the bromadiolone version. The range also covers bait stations, traps, monitoring and proofing.
Where can I buy farm rodenticide in central Scotland?
From any of the four McCaskie country stores at Ayr, Kinross, Lanark & Stirling. Bring your certificate — we have to see it at the point of sale. Ring 01786 474 481 to check stock first.
Ask at any of the four stores — Ayr, Kinross, Lanark & Stirling — or ring 01786 474 481. There are qualified SQPs in every store.
Ask your rep about baiting