2026 SGAR Field Kit
The 2026 SGAR Field Kit is everything you need to brief your team, update your processes, and walk onto a site knowing where you stand under the new second-generation anticoagulant rodenticide rules. Everything below is ready to use today.
The changes at a glance
Document 1: Client communication template
A ready-to-send note so you can get ahead of the change with your clients this week, not next month. Copy it, fill the brackets, and send. Three lengths, pick one.
Subject line options
- An update on your rodent program and the new rodenticide rules
- What the 2026 rodenticide changes mean for [SITE OR BUSINESS NAME]
- Getting ahead of the new rat and mouse bait rules
The short version
Hi [CLIENT FIRST NAME], A quick heads-up on a rule change that affects rodent control on your site. From 24 March 2026 the APVMA placed new, legally enforceable conditions on second-generation rat and mouse baits, and those baits are leaving retail shelves. In plain terms, the strongest rodent products are now professional-use only, and the way they can be placed and managed has tightened. [Pick the line that is true for you, delete the other:] - We have already reviewed how this applies to your site, and we are adjusting your program to keep it in step with the new rules. - We are reviewing how this applies to your site now, and we will confirm any changes at our next visit. There is nothing you need to do right now. We will walk you through any changes at our next visit on [DATE OR MONTH]. If you would like to talk it through sooner, just reply to this email or call us on [PHONE]. Kind regards, [YOUR NAME] [YOUR COMPANY]
The standard version
Hi [CLIENT FIRST NAME], I want to let you know about a rule change that affects rodent control on your site, and let you know we are already on top of it. What changed. From 24 March 2026 the APVMA suspended the old labels on second-generation rat and mouse baits and replaced them with new mandatory instructions that carry the force of state law. The same products are also leaving retail shelves and are now professional-use only. What it means for your site. A few things tighten under the new rules: where bait stations can sit, how long a treatment can run before a formal evaluation, and a search-and-dispose step at every visit. For most sites this means a slightly different program, and in some spots a shift toward non-chemical options like proofing, exclusion and monitored trapping, which sit outside these restrictions entirely. What we are doing. [Pick the line that is true for you, delete the other:] - We have reviewed your site against the new rules and we are updating your program so it stays in line with them and keeps working. - We are reviewing your site against the new rules now, and we will update your program so it stays in line with them and keeps working. You will see the detail at our next scheduled visit on [DATE OR MONTH]. What we may need from you. [Delete the two that do not apply:] - Nothing at this stage. - A short walk-around at our next visit. - Access to [AREA]. We will confirm at the visit. Happy to talk it through anytime. Reply here or call [PHONE]. Kind regards, [YOUR NAME] [YOUR COMPANY] [PHONE] [EMAIL]
The detailed version (for facility and portfolio clients)
Use the standard version above, then add this paragraph before the sign-off:
For a portfolio like yours, the practical step is a compliance pass across each site running rodent bait, checking placement against the new 2-metre rule, flagging any outdoor mouse baiting, and setting up the 35-day evaluation cycle where it applies. We can run that pass as part of your existing service and give you a short compliance record for each site, so your obligations are documented and easy to show. Where it makes sense, we will also map which points are better served by non-chemical systems, which reduces your ongoing compliance load.
Document 2: Site audit worksheet
One form per site. Walk every station against the new rules, tick it off, and you have a dated compliance record. About 10 minutes per site. Print landscape.
| # | Location on site | Target (rat / mouse) | Bait type (SGAR / other / device) | Placed (indoors / outdoors) | Within 2 m of a building? (Y / N / n.a.) | Station tamper, weather resistant, secured? (Y / N / n.a.) | Treatment start date (from your 35-day log; write unknown if no record) | Compliant? (Y / N) | Action needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |||||||||
| 2 | |||||||||
| 3 | |||||||||
| 4 | |||||||||
| 5 |
The four questions to ask at every station
- Outdoor mouse baiting? If you are baiting mice outdoors with an SGAR, that is now banned. Bring it indoors or switch to a device.
- More than 2 metres from a building? An outdoor SGAR station must be within 2 metres of a structure. Move it in, or switch that point to a device.
- Is the outdoor station up to standard? It must be tamper-resistant, weather-resistant and secured so it cannot be moved or opened.
- More than 35 days on continuous treatment? If continuous treatment has run more than 35 days, complete and record an evaluation of the state of the infestation and the efficacy of the treatment before any more bait goes down. If the start date is unknown, treat the station as due for that evaluation now.
At every visit, whatever the answers: search for and safely dispose of dead rodents, slugs and snails, wearing disposable gloves. Wrap, bag and bin, and follow local disposal rules. Where slugs or snails are present at a station, move that station to another location away from them.
Keep the sheet. It is your dated record that the site was checked against the new rules.
Document 3: 35-day tracking log
So no SGAR treatment quietly runs past its 35-day checkpoint. One line per active treatment, across every site you manage.
When you start a continuous SGAR treatment, log the start date. Add 35 days to get the checkpoint date. That checkpoint is a hard line: before you re-bait past it, complete an evaluation of the state of the infestation and how well the treatment is working, and record the outcome. A 28 to 31 day monthly service cycle, with the evaluation recorded at each visit, means the 35-day checkpoint never arrives unmet.
| Site | Zone or station | Target | Treatment start | Day 35 checkpoint (start + 35) | Evaluation done (date) | Outcome | Next checkpoint | Technician |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Example: Northgate DC | Dock 3 perimeter | Rats | 12 May 2026 | 16 Jun 2026 | 15 Jun 2026 | Continue, evaluation recorded | 20 Jul 2026 | [name] |
What a compliant evaluation looks like
An evaluation is more than a tick. Recorded at the checkpoint, it reads about like this:
- Site and station: Northgate DC, Dock 3 perimeter run (stations 4 to 9).
- Activity since last visit: take-down down from all nine stations to three; droppings reduced; no new gnawing on the dock seals.
- Judgement: infestation declining, not yet cleared; the treatment is working.
- Decision: continue to the next visit, same placement; recheck seals flagged for proofing quote.
- Recorded by: [technician name and licence no.], [date].
That is the record that lets you keep baiting past 35 days, and the record an auditor or a client can ask to see.
Document 4: Provider question sheet
For the food ops manager, venue manager, facilities or asset manager who commissions a pest program and wants to know it is compliant. Five questions to put to your pest provider.
- Does our pest program use SGARs (second-generation rat and mouse baits) anywhere on our site? If yes, the questions below apply. If no, ask what is used instead.
- Are you working to the APVMA Gazette No. 5 instructions on every SGAR station? These replaced the old product labels from 24 March 2026 and carry the force of state law.
- Do we have any stations more than 2 metres from a building, or any outdoor mouse baiting? Both are now non-compliant for SGARs. Ask for an updated station map that shows this has been fixed.
- Where are our 35-day evaluation records kept, and can we see them? Continuous SGAR treatment past 35 days needs a recorded evaluation. Those records are what an auditor will ask for.
- Does the new carcass search-and-dispose duty change our visit time or cost? There is now a search-and-dispose step at every visit. It is fair to ask how it affects your service.
A "no" or an "I'm not sure" to questions 2, 3 or 4 is worth a follow-up in writing. It is your site and your compliance record.