The British Pest Control Association (BPCA) has written to Natural England expressing concern over the length of time class licences are currently being issued.
In a letter to Natural England, BPCA stated concern for food safety risks associated with slow issuing of class licences and referred to a recent scenario to illustrate the problem.
Our members need authorisation to act quickly before issues get out of hand. The difference in speed for obtaining licences is considerable when compared to other home countries and we hope we can work with Natural England to reduce the effect of problems in sites such as food manufacturing, and consequently the associated impacts to businesses and consumers.
Simon Forrester, BPCA Chief Executive
Bird ingress into food facilities, shops, warehouses, restaurants, food factories etc., is a major microbiological and foreign body risk. Potential bacterial contamination could lead to a product recall or emergency closure of the premises.
Dee Ward-Thompson, BPCA Technical Manager
Mike Flynn of North West BPCA member company, Alpha Pest Control shared his frustration on the delay to issue licences,
The delay in issuing licences is a real unnecessary hurdle we have to contend with in England. Elsewhere in the UK, services are able to respond to issues much faster and reduce the overall impact on the business. It’s also important to mention the longer we have to wait for the licence, risk of contamination increases, as well as an animal suffering unnecessarily.
Mike Flynn, Alpha Pest Control
Members and supporters of the Association will receive updates relevant to the request, via traditional communication methods such as news pages on the BPCA website. However, BPCA are calling for further scenarios from its membership to gather further evidence.
Professional pest controllers who are particularly enthusiastic about issues relating to bird control are also invited to submit expressions of interest in joining the Association's special interest group on bird control; Birdwise.
Email hello@bpca.org.uk to present your scenario or express an interest in joining Birdwise.