Wildlife boom follows wormer ban

23 August 1999

Wildlife boom follows wormer ban

WILDLIFE including the rare greater horseshoe bat, has boomed since the National Trust banned an animal drug which makes cowpats toxic.

The trust banned the veterinary drug Ivermectin, used to control worms in cows and sheep, three years ago.

It believes that the ban appears to demonstrate that a range of drugs, called Avermectins, have more extensive ecological effects than once thought.

The Ministry of Agriculture allows the use of Avermectin, even on land where it pays farmers countryside stewardship grants to protect wildlife.