The Alberta government has launched a new campaign to keep rats out of Alberta.
The "Rat on Rats" program will fund billboards and outreach materials encouraging Albertans to report rat sightings. The total cost of the campaign is $110,000.
“Managing invasive species and pests, like rats, is an important part of keeping our food chain safe and productive," said Lawrence MacAulay, federal minister of agriculture and agri-food. "This campaign will help keep Alberta proudly rat-free, so our farmers can focus on what they do best - feeding Canadians and the world.”
Funding for the campaign has been provided by the Sustainable CAP's Resiliency and Public Trust initiative, which is a $3.5 billion investment to strengthen competitiveness in Canada's agriculture sector.
According to the province, Alberta has been rat-free for over 70 years and is the only region on Earth to do so. The province remains rat-free due to the work of staff in the Rat Control Program.
The provincial government added that rats can hitchhike into the province through vehicles, cargo, and equipment.
In 2023 there were 450 rats reported in Alberta, with only 23 confirmed cases. The majority of the reports ended up being muskrats.