New legislation puts the future of coloured baits in doubt

SOME of angling’s most popular baits such as red maggots and coloured sweetcorn could be banned under sweeping new EU laws.

The regulations, which require companies to fully detail the ingredients of their products, could also lead to a rise in the cost of groundbait mixes and feed pellets.

Under the legislation, which companies are in the process of complying with, many fishing baits will be classed as ‘animal feed’, forcing manufacturers to potentially seek alternative ingredients for many products. The changes are expected to impact the smaller bait companies the hardest.

Products under the most scrutiny are groundbait and the dyes used to colour maggots, boilies and feed pellets, but plans could be extended to include hookbaits and liquids, both of which are currently exempt.

Sonubaits boss Ian Day said that his firm has spent four years preparing for the changes.

“It’s currently groundbait under the microscope and any product must detail at least four nutritional values, although more are required in Europe,” he said.

“Some of the dyes used in baits are synthetic, and these could be banned as they offer no nutritional benefits. Switching to natural dyes can be expensive and less effective. The legislation is costing companies thousands, and other manufacturers may choose to pass this on to the consumer.”

Dynamite Baits is also embracing the changes. A spokesperson said:

“We’ve invested a lot of money into making sure that we are registered to sell animal feed but also ensuring our bait can continue to be crafted at the same high standard.”

Biodegradable bait 'first' by Enterprise

FAKE-BAIT kings Enterprise Tackle are set to shake-up the angling market with a ground-breaking move to make all of their products fully biodegradable.

Starting this coming spring, the company’s huge range of imitation hookbaits and plastic terminal tackle items will contain an additive that helps them to break down fully within just a couple of years, compared to the 200 to 300 years it currently takes with plastics.

Enterprise, which has sold around 25 million units of its imitation corn hookbaits alone since launching them as a market-first back in 1999, has been working on the new products for a number of years, as the company’s Chris Hornsby revealed.

“As the market leader in imitation carp and coarse baits, we felt that it was a no-brainer for us to make our baits biodegradable.”

“We began looking into it five years ago, but the additives available back then adversely affected the products. For example, we ended up with rock-hard plastic maggots, which were far from ideal. But extensive trials of the new additive has shown that the baits looked and felt exactly as they should, and catch reports confirmed their effectiveness had not been compromised.”

Although Enterprise has made a big investment in the new process, anglers will welcome the news that the price of the new offerings will mirror that of the old.

“We’re absorbing the cost because we feel that the benefits to the environment, and the positive message we will be sending out, far outweigh any financial gain.

“From early spring 2020 we will be running out some of our most popular items, such as pop-up sweetcorn, containing the biodegradable additive. These items will be identified by a round sticker on the front of the packaging. Eventually all of our products will have it.

Until now the angling industry has been slow to embrace environmental issues, so we’re proud to set the ball rolling.”

Indeed, the forward-thinking move by Enterprise will not only be welcomed by environmentally-aware anglers, but also fishery owners, some of whom have banned plastic baits.

Richard Wilby, who runs Airfield Lakes in Norfolk and several other waters said:

“This is a great development. Currently I don’t allow plastic baits on any of my venues because they’re always ‘fishing’, which can be a problem if a rig is left out due to a crack-off or bite-off from a pike. I look forward to seeing these new baits and hopefully being able to allow them again in my lakes. It’s an excellent move by Enterprise, and good luck to them.”