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MSPCA Position: Support Sponsors: Representative Jim Hawkins and Senator Mike Moore Status: Referred to Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources. Hearing held 10/27/2025. S. 644 redrafted by the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources as S. 2721 and referred to Senate Committee on Ways & Means.
Overview: This legislation would restrict the use of Anticoagulant Rodenticides (ARs) in Massachusetts to protect wildlife, pets, people, and the environment.
What this bill will do: This bill will end the registration and reregistration of anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs), unless deemed necessary for a public health emergency by the Massachusetts Department of agriculture and resources (MDAR). This bill also gives the department the ability to establish a process and standards for the limited use of anticoagulant rodenticides by licensed applicators in public health emergencies.
Why is this legislation needed? Anticoagulant Rodenticides (ARs) are a particularly toxic group of poisons used as a form of rodent control. When ingested, ARs prevent the clotting of blood, and cause the animal who ingested it to sustain heavy internal bleeding, eventually causing death.
This owl’s family unknowingly fed on rodents who had ingested rat bait that contained second generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) and over the course of a week they succumbed to its deadly effects. Photo: New England Wildlife Center.
The poison remains in the dead or dying rodent’s system for days. These poisons are broken into two categories: first generation known as FGARs (Chlorophacinone, Diphacinonon, and Warfarin) and second generation known as SGARs (Brodifacoum, Bromadiolone Difenacoum, and Difethialone). First-generation anticoagulant rodenticides last for approximately 7 days in an animal’s system, but SGARs are more potent and generally last for 4 weeks, making them more dangerous to other animals who ingest poisoned prey.
ARs impact non-targeted pets and wildlife populations, such as birds of prey, who rely on the poisoned rodents as a food source. As a result, the cats and dogs, hawks, eagles, owls, and bobcats who are exposed often suffer the same fatal hemorrhaging as their meal.
While ARs are prohibited for residential consumer purchase in the Commonwealth, commercial use is allowed for licensed pesticide companies.
In the news:
Additional Resources:
Note: Pesticide Issues/Complaints/Questions can be left on the MDAR Pesticide Division Enforcement phone line at 617-626-1782. This is a recorded line. Please leave a message and an Inspector will return the call. Or if preferred the Complaint Form can be completed and submitted. Please use the following link: https://www.mass.gov/forms/pesticide-enforcement-complaint-form
Updated 10/23/2025
