Whereas glue traps are an ineffective method for controlling rodents as they fail to address the root causes of an infestation, including access to food and shelter, and they cause fear, pain and distress for captured animals, including rodents and non-target animals like birds, bats, small mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and household pets; And whereas most users are not capable of humanely killing trapped animals, leaving them to suffer for hours, and even days, before dying of suffocation, dehydration, starvation, exhaustion, or exposure: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM ask the Province of British Columbia to implement a province-wide ban on the sale, purchase, and use of glue traps.
Ministry of Environment and Parks Government supports local government efforts to manage rodent populations in a responsible and humane manner. Government also recognizes glue traps have the potential to affect non-target wildlife, and they can lead to the suffering of animals. When traps are used to manage rodent populations, snap or electronic traps are the best option because they are effective and kill rodents quickly and humanely. Physical traps are not regulated by the Ministry of Environment and Parks. Pesticides are regulated under the Integrated Pest Management Act IPMA, but the definition of pesticide excludes devices used to control pests such as snap traps, pheromone traps, and glue boards. Therefore, there is no mechanism for restricting their sale or use under the IPMA. However, ministry staff work to promote responsible pest management using Integrated Pest Management IPM, and to develop education materials to support this practice. The ministrys focus is on the adoption of IPM, especially prevention and exclusion of pests, which minimizes the need for any control measures to be considered. Government is open to collaborating with Local Government on initiatives to promote humane pest management. Recent collaboration of this nature included development of education materials to support restrictions in the use of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides following the 2023 amendments to the IPM Regulation.