Data direct from cities, towns, and counties in California proves that after the state banned anticoagulant rodenticides (a class of rat poisons), rodent complaints went down to a 10-year low compared to before the state’s 2021 ban.

Mice and rats continue to overwhelm our Rhode Island communities, despite hundreds of black boxes containing these rat poisons littering our cities and towns. Rodenticides aren’t working; instead, they accumulate in predators like owls, hawks, and eagles and kill them. These raptors are part of the solution. One Eastern Screech Owl can eat up to around 1,000 rodents a year, but it may only take 1-2 rodents with rodenticide poisoning to kill them. Since these rat poisons take 5-10 days to kill a rodent and slow them down in the process, they become easy prey for any predator who consumes them. These poisons are unnecessary; effective, wildlife-safe alternatives exist, such as rat and mouse sterilization.

House Bill 5704 provides a commonsense approach to rodent control, while also protecting the environment. The bill immediately establishes support for municipalities to develop wildlife-safe rodent control alternatives with no impact to the state budget. It then restricts the sale of the poisons away from consumer hands and bans them on January 1st, 2028. Important exemptions still exist, such as for agriculture, breweries, and municipalities in the event of a declared public health crisis.

H-5704 is the solution we need. We urge you to support H-5704 to stop the rodents taking over our communities while protecting the environment, our ecosystem, and our children.