Slug baits are very widely used in pasture renovation and cropping programmes. These baits are toxic to all mammals including dogs, sheep, cattle and horses and we have warned about the threat of poisoning in previous newsletters.
An incidence of poisoning in Hawkes Bay is worth bringing to your attention as it demonstrates how ugly things can get.
A drilling contractor got rained out and left his gear in the lane (including several bags of slug bait). The farmer decided to leave 50 odd rising 2 year old bulls in the lane for the night. Yes, you can guess what happened. The bulls found the slug baits which they found to be to their liking! 23 bulls ended up dying. (Practical treatment of such big numbers is virtually impossible.)
The take home message—handle and store slug baits with care and ensure contractors do likewise!!!