Some newspapers have recently picked up on the draft Biocidal Products Regulation and have come to the somewhat irrational conclusion that its stipulations could lead to another bubonic plague.

It is true that the draft regulation looks to ban many substances associated with rat poison but the key aspect missed by some sensationalist articles is that the draft provides for a number of exceptional cases where a substance can be permitted, despite being covered by the exclusion criteria. One of these exceptions is when a substance is necessary to control a serious danger to public health, and this exception is focused precisely on substances like rodent poisons.  In short, the proposal allows for rodent poisons to be marketed and used.