A high-profile policy by Welsh Labour First Minister Mark Drakeford will cause food shortages and shorten people’s life expectancy, experts fear, but is expected to be rolled out by a Sir Keir Starmer government in the UK.
A group of experts have written to the Labour Welsh government with dire warnings about his latest bonkers woke policy of putting “rats before humans” and risking the spread of serious diseases.
His Welsh Labour government’s ban on glue boards to catch rodents is now set to cause chaos in Wales but is the latest one which could be copied by a Labour government in Westminster.
Already Sir Keir Starmer has declared that Wales is “the model” for a Labour government, while Angela Rayner today in the party conference in Liverpool hailed Drakeford.
She claimed he had “shown the power of devolved leadership” and “already delivered in power” to huge applause from the audience.
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Ms Rayner’s speech has underlined concerns that Labour will copy Mr Drakeford’s policies which he has tested out in Wales.
This includes the hated war on motorists with 20mph speed limits and a ban on building new roads.
But the most concerning is the recently passed ban on glue boards to catch rats.
While in the UK the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) went for a licencing scheme with pest controllers, Mr Drakeford ignored warnings and has pushed through a complete ban.
Express.co.uk has seen a letter from the British Pest Control Association (BPCA) issuing dire warnings about the new law.
Ian Andrew, chief executive of the BCPA, wrote: “Now that the Act is in force, it will have inevitable consequences on businesses in Wales with high-risk food areas being severely challenged to maintain food security and public health.
“Ironically, the only business that will likely benefit from the ban will be pest management companies, as it will cost their clients with pest problems considerably more to get premises rodent-free and safe.”
He went on to suggest that rodents will have a worse death through other means.
He said: “While a rodent caught on a professionally placed glue board typically had a humane death, their futures are far more uncertain with the tools we have left.
“I do not believe the citizens of Wales would ever choose to co-exist with rodents. Sadly, however, that will become an increasingly common circumstance for many.”
In one dire warning, he suggested that international studies suggested that this could lead to a reduction in life expectancy.
He said: “The World Health Organisation (WHO) is clear that one of the significant factors in the increase in human lifespan globally is professional pest management.
“As such we advocate strongly for adequate pest management as we know society thrives and human life is enhanced because of our sector’s work.
“Your work on this Act has hindered our members’ ability to protect Welsh citizens and long term we expect to see more rodent-based pathogens disproportionally harm Welsh people due to increased rodent populations.”
Highlighting the threat of major diseases spreading in Wales, he suggested that the Welsh government may want to come back with a licensing scheme.
He said: “I hope whenever you read of someone in Wales in hospital because they’ve contracted Weil’s disease, salmonella, listeria, or any of the other nasty pathogens rodents carry, you’ll remember the warnings we issued.
“And when Welsh citizens rightfully ask why rodent lives were prioritised over theirs, we’ll be sure to point to the Welsh government and this poorly thought-out legislation.”
When she confirmed the ban, Welsh Labour rural affairs minister Lesley Griffiths said: “The use of snares and glue traps are not compatible with the high animal welfare standards we strive for here in Wales.
“These methods can cause a great deal of suffering and harm to all animals.
“I’m pleased Wales is leading the way on this issue, and we will continue to strive for high animal welfare standards.”
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