POLICY

With the General Election a few weeks away, the British Pest Control Association (BPCA) has released its Manifesto for Pest Management, detailing our policy demands of the next government. 

The launch coincides with World Pest Day, an international event celebrating the essential role public health pest management plays in society worldwide.

BPCA Policy Officer Jordan McCay said:

“Our manifesto is the culmination of many months of work. Our member volunteers were asked, ‘What should our ‘key asks’ be of the next government?’.

Together, we created this policy document designed to get politicians to engage with pest management in order to help us to continue to protect public health and safety.

Jordan McCay, BPCA Policy Officer

Disease, Destruction and Distress

The Manifesto for Pest Management details four key policy areas with which BPCA wants to see government engagement. 

They are:

PestSafe

Develop a PestSafe scheme to proactively keep homes pest-free. Make the scheme mandatory for landlords and social housing. Encourage homeowners to demand PestSafe reports before they purchase a property.

Chemical regulation that encourages innovation

Reassess GB BPR fee structure to ensure new and existing pest management products are available to protect public health. Review chemical regulations to encourage innovation rather than hinder it. 

Restrict the professional tools to professional users

Require professional pest controllers to be licensed to practice. Set a licensing standard equivalent to the voluntary standards that BPCA members adhere to. This should include a minimum training standard and a commitment to CPD.

Champion the TrustMark scheme

Specify that all government-controlled estates must choose a TrustMark registered  “government-endorsed quality” pest management company, wherever possible.

The Manifesto contains briefing documents, policy recommendations, and key stats designed to introduce politicians, civil servants, and stakeholders to pest management. 

Jordan continued:

“The manifesto sets our four policy areas for protecting people from the disease, destruction, and distress pests can cause.

“They champion the professionalism of BPCA members and to protect the toolkit of the entire sector.

“Thank you to all the members who have contributed to this enormous project. We look forward to reporting on our progress.” 

Get a copy of the Manifesto

The Manifesto is now available to download on the BPCA Policy section of the website.

For more information about BPCA’s public affairs work, Manifesto or policy recommendations, contact policy@bpca.org.uk