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Toxic residues in wild animals

What are vertebrate toxic agents

Vertebrate toxic agents, or poisons, such as brodifacoum, cyanide and 1080 are mainly used in New Zealand to kill possums. These may be laid free or in bait stations as cereal baits, pellets or mixed in a paste. Brodifacoum is supposed to be laid in a bait station. Some of these poisons, including brodifacoum and other similar chemicals such as bromodialone and flucoumafen, are also available for unrestricted sale to the public for rodent control. Brodifacoum, bromodialone and flucoumafen are ‘anti-coagulants’. They work by slowing or even stopping blood clotting, so the animal can bleed to death. Not all animals die, some just accumulate the poisons in their liver, and have blood clotting problems. If they eat enough poison, they will eventually die.

How can wild animals come into contact with poisons?

Wild animals can easily access and eat these poisons, especially if the poisons have not been laid in bait stations. Wild pigs often scavenge on dead possums or rodents that have been poisoned. Brodifacoum lasts many months or even years in animals that have eaten it and doesn’t break down when the meat is cooked.

How does this make meat from wild animals unsafe to eat?

There is an unknown risk of toxic residues in wild animals caught or shot in areas where the baits have been laid and subsequently eaten by hunters and others to whom they may give the meat to. No assurances can be given for the safety or fitness for consumption of wild animals caught as part of recreational catch in the risk areas. Recreational catch meat has not been subjected to any hygiene or processing standards, control or inspections.

Wild animal meat that goes to a game processor has the offal condemned. The liver is where the highest levels of brodifacoum are found.

While there are no known cases of ill health directly linked to eating wild animal meat contaminated with brodifacoum, residues of this poison have been found in wild pigs and that may pose a serious potential food safety risk.

What about pet food?

There is also the possibility that wild animals that are processed into pet food could contain unacceptable levels of these residues. Dogs in particular are very susceptible to 1080 poisoning and pets / working animals should not be fed meat from wild animals that may have been exposed to this or any other poison.

Do you test for the presence of these poison residues?

NZFSA carries out random tests for vertebrate toxic agents on carcasses from wild animal processing premises. If, as a Certified Supplier, you supply wild animals contaminated with poisons, you may be removed from the list of Certified Suppliers, your name will go on the National Residue Suspect List and you could face substantial fines. However, as recreational hunting is not regulated there is no established residue testing regime in place for recreational catch.

How can I avoid catching animals that may be contaminated?

If you, your family or pets/ working dogs are eating meat from wild animals such as deer and pigs or horse meat you should make sure that you are not hunting in an area where these poisons have been laid. If you hunt on private property you should check with the owner of the property if any poisons have been laid, and if so, what they are, and where they were laid. If you hunt on Crown land, check the current DoC Pesticides Summary to see if any poisons have been laid.

Where can I find out more?

The New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) has produced a booklet called ‘Hunting Pesticide-Free Game’ with further information and guidelines on this issue for hunters.

This is available on the NZFSA website www.nzfsa.govt.nz or contact:

NZFSA

68 Jervois Quay

PO Box 2835

Wellington

New Zealand

Tel: 04 4632500