Dozens of hares and several pheasants found dead by hunters on the
outskirts of Brno were killed by Stutox II, a rat poison that farmers were
recently prohibited from using on a blanket scale, unofficial lab tests
show. The firm Bonagro, which allegedly applied the poison in nearby
fields, has come forward to say it did so before the government issued a
ban.
Earlier this month the government suspended a decision to let farmers use
Stutox II to poison rodents, which have decimated grain and rapeseed crops
and are threatening corn, beet, sunflower production. The Ministry of
Environment had argued the poison presents a serious threat to other
animals, including birds, and that its use violates the law on landscape
protection.