Mumbai: India may soon require the services of the legendary “Pied Piper of Hamlin” to do away with the deadly nuisance of rats, that has presently become an issue between the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) and the Glue Boards Manufacturers Association (GBMA).
The Glue Boards Manufacturers Association (GBMA) here recently criticized the “spread of misinformation” about use of glue boards for rodents’ control, and urged the concerned authorities to note the vital role of glue boards in +maintaining public health (by controlling spread of diseases like leptospirosis and plague that is transmitted by rodents), food security and sustainability of various industries.
Mukesh Patel, Secretary of GBMA, said that the GBMA was reacting to two ‘circulars’ (dated 4.8.2011 and 16.11.2020) sent by the Animal Welfare Board of India — to Chief Secretaries across all States and Union Territories, Directorate General of Foreign Trade, and Indian Pest Control Association — to “issue strictly directions to ban the use of Glue Traps.”
The AWBA circular stated that the Glue Trap method “inflicts unnecessary pain and suffering to the rodents and is against the spirit of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960, while there are many humane methods to control the rat population.”
Another AWBA circular “requested the Director General of Foreign Trade to issue appropriate directions to ban the import of glue traps.”
The GMBA appealed to the concerned authorities to “reconsider” the circulars and instead “engage” in a dialogue with all stakeholders including glue board manufacturers, pest control operators and affected industries.
Stating that the rat population from a pair of rats can rise upto 12,000 in barely a year, Gururaj Agnihotri, President, GBMA, highlighted cases of hospitals witnessing patients being fatally bitten by rats and even morgues facing the same problem. “Should we prioritize food security and protecting human health, or worry about the welfare of vermin?” he retorted.
“The Indian Grain Storage Management and Research Institute (IGSMRI) website estimates that between 2.4 to 26 million tons of grains – which can feed 23 crore people — are lost annually due to contamination and consumption by rats alone,” he said, adding “The 1994 Plague in Gujarat and Maharashtra – where hundreds of people lost their lives — is fresh in everyone’s memory and Leptospirosis is another primary disease with such cases growing every passing year.”
“When it comes to rodent management, no tool is as versatile, effective and affordable as glue boards since some global methods are equally cruel, impractical and unsafe for humans and pets. Some advanced countries use rat traps having hammers or snap traps, electric shock to hit and kill the rats,” he said, adding that there are no toxic chemicals in the glue boards and they are biodegradable.
According to the Indian Grain Storage Management & Research Institute (IGMRI) at Hapur (U.P.), +the war against rodents started as early as 5,000 years ago with the advent of Agriculture and since 1975, have been identified as “National Pest.+
Warning that India faced around Rs 1.3 trillion worth of crop and grain loss by rodents if they were not brought under control, GBMA’s Patel said the livelihoods of 16 glue boards manufacturing companies and 50-60,000 pest control providers in India – which witnessed sales around Rs 400 crore annually — was at stake due to the AWBA’s ban.
