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Feb 28
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Idaho Legislature – VOTE NO on H0781 - Agricultural pests (needs amendments) (Posted: 02/28/26)

Summary

H0781 adds rats such as the Norway rat and roof rat to rodent category of pests that counties in Idaho may control on public or private lands (no additional fiscal impact).

📌NOTE: H0781 (this bill) replaces same-named bill H0536: legislature.idaho.gov/s…

25-2601. CONTROL OF PESTS — POWERS OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS grants the board of county commissioners of every county full power and authority to declare any of the following to be agricultural pests and to take all steps they may deem necessary to control such pests on public or private lands:

  • Predatory Animals: Any predatory animal that feeds on, preys on, or destroys poultry or livestock.

  • Rodents: Any rodent, including mice, gophers, ground squirrels, jackrabbits, or rats such as the Norway rat and roof rat.

  • Insects and Invertebrates: Any insect, including crickets, locusts, and grasshoppers, or any other invertebrate organism that feeds on, preys on, or destroys poultry or livestock operations, natural grasses, cultivated crops of any kind, or the earth.

  • Plant Disease-Causing Organisms: Any plant disease-causing organism or agent that feeds on, preys on, or destroys poultry or livestock operations, natural grasses, cultivated crops of any kind, or the earth.

Constitutional Impact:

Infringes upon Idaho Constitution Article I Section 1 property rights: sos.idaho.gov/elect/stc…

“SECTION 1. INALIENABLE RIGHTS OF MAN. All men are by nature free and equal, and have certain inalienable rights, among which are enjoying and defending life and liberty; acquiring, possessing and protecting property; pursuing happiness and securing safety.” -- Article I Section 1 of Idaho’s Constitution

Reason for Recommendation to VOTE NO

H0781 has several major flaws:

  1. Infringes on private property rights by granting county commissioners “full ... authority to declare take all steps they may deem necessary to control agricultural pests ... on any private lands.”

    • During the 2026 session, H0747 – Abatement Districts, aims to REDUCE infringement on property rights. H0781 does the opposite.

  2. Adds yet another “pest” (rats) to the list of species to be eradicated.

    • Ignores environmental impacts of killing “pest” species in the food chain. Such killing often leads to side effects of killing desirable or non-pest species, many of which are needed for successful agriculture.

    • Have you noticed that insects, bees, earthworms, and many other species are disappearing? Most of these die-offs are HUMAN caused, including poisons from geoengineering and pest control measures (pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, etc.). See references below, including recent ones marked with 🔥

  3. So-called “agricultural pests,” if managed ecologically rather than with kill, kill, kill mentality, serve as food for other species. We depend on the entire food chain for our own food too; disrupting that chain has a profound effect at every level, including ours.

The Kill Everything You Don’t Like Approach

Humanity’s desire to kill, kill, kill always has created unintended (or unexpected) consequences as it poisons other species, water sources, soil, and even the air. And it destroys species that provide food sources for “desired” or “non-pest” species.

We must use (or at least consider) non-lethal approaches first.

Examples of Failed Attempts To Eradicate Pests (see Related below for links):

  • China (1958): China’s Great Sparrow Campaign aimed to “conquer nature” but resulted in as many as 75 million human deaths.

  • Australia (1932): Emu Wars: Australia’s military took on a flock of 20,000 emus in a bizarre campaign that ended with one of history’s most unlikely defeats.

  • United States: Mosquito abatement. Herbicides and pesticides on crops and ornamental plants harming human health, poisoning food, killing insects, birds, and other creatures vital to ecology.

  • UK: Rats becoming resistant to rodenticides.

About Rats

Did you know? Rats are smart and likely to outwit kill boxes and poisons we send their way. Additionally, they develop gene mutations that resist rodenticides.

When we lived in San Diego, we had roof rats (or maybe Norway rats). We chose not to kill them, but to trim vegetation away from our roof. Worked like a charm. Whoosh. Gone!

Non-Lethal Rat Control Measures

See Substack Note comments on “rats only” bill, S1271 - Rats, health and safety nuisances for details on natural ways to control rats. That Note summarizes the ChatGPT and Grok links below:

_________

Related

Pest abatement in Idaho

Ecological Disasters from Pest Control Efforts

  • 🔥Geoengineering is destroying insect and invertebrate populations. Host: Clayton J. Baker, MD; Guest: Abby Rockefeller, lifelong conservationist and amateur entomologist (02/20/26, podcast 57:56). Focuses on geoengineering, but “pest control” is a big factor too: tinyurl.com/ys945km7

  • 🔥Insect Loss As an Early Warning of Systemic Biological Failure. By Dr. Joseph Varon, Independent Medical Alliance (published by Brownstone Institute, 01/26/26). Substack Note and links to original article: tinyurl.com/yk5s2hc3

  • China: Eliminate Sparrows campaign (Wikipedia): tinyurl.com/3bzafa3a

  • China: Six Lessons From the World’s Deadliest Environmental Disaster. China’s Great Sparrow Campaign aimed to “conquer nature” but resulted in as many as 75 million human deaths. By John R. Platt (10/21/24): tinyurl.com/37czku6b

  • Australia: Emus of War: When Australia Could Not Beat Birds. In 1932, Australia’s military took on a flock of 20,000 emus in a bizarre campaign that ended with one of history’s most unlikely defeats. By Elliot Kim (02/03/26): tinyurl.com/hzud6v9c

Rat Resistance to Poisoning Measures

Per Grok, rats develop resistance to rodenticides via VKORC1 gene mutations.

  • Large‐scale identification of rodenticide resistance in Rattus norvegicus and Mus musculus in the Netherlands based on Vkorc1 codon 139 mutations: tinyurl.com/563fppjj

  • The Genetic Basis of Resistance to Anticoagulants in Rodents: tinyurl.com/2d8zssbm

  • Control Of Rats Resistant To Second-Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides: tinyurl.com/7zanzr76

  • Rodenticide Resistance - An Overview: tinyurl.com/yvf2md8t

  • UK: Are rats resistant to poison? (02/16/22): tinyurl.com/4csvmu9z

  • UK: Behavioural resistance towards poison baits in brown rats, Rattus norvegicus. By C.F.A. Brunton, D.W. Macdonald, A.P. Buckle in Applied Animal Behavior Science (11/93): tinyurl.com/yyxkzmuc

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