PPC118 | Pests in politics
Continued issues for glue trap licensing
BPCA has uncovered a significant gap in law enforcement’s preparedness regarding the Glue Trap Act (2022). A Freedom of Information (FOI) response from the Metropolitan Police in December confirmed that no training has been provided to officers on handling illegal glue trap use.
To assess officers’ and the public’s awareness of the new legislation, BPCA submitted an FOI request to the Met Police, seeking information on training provided on the licensing scheme and public awareness campaigns about the ban.
The response revealed:
- The Wildlife Crime Unit has no records of glue trap reports post-legislation
- No training or briefings have been conducted on the Glue Traps Act
- No guidance documents exist for handling glue
trap cases
- No public awareness campaigns have taken place
- No relevant training materials are available on the Met’s Learning Management System.
Read the full story at ppconline.org/ppc-news
Implications for Pest Management
One of BPCA’s major concerns was that the Glue Traps Act would restrict professionals from using glue traps responsibly, leading to increased amateur use.
The FOI response highlights the consequences of a rushed scheme.
Despite the ban on unlicensed use in England, BPCA members continue to witness public misuse of glue boards.
A lack of public awareness and police preparedness has resulted in a failure to enforce the scheme, undermining both animal welfare and public health.
BPCA’s position on rodent glue boards
BPCA remains committed to lobbying for a functional licensing scheme that upholds animal welfare standards, minimises public health risks and does not overly restrict professional pest management.
BPCA urges policymakers to review the current system and collaborate with industry experts to create a practical and enforceable framework.
How you can help
BPCA is calling on industry professionals to share their experiences with glue board licensing. Send your stories to hello@bpca.org.uk to support BPCA’s lobbying efforts for a fair and effective licensing scheme.
Members-Only Resource: Listen back to BPCA’s ‘Life After Glue Boards’ debate session for insights from industry experts. bpca.org.uk/cpd-videos
Life after glue boards
New legislation in England, Scotland and Wales has severely restricted or completely banned the use of glue boards. Pest management professionals nationwide
must adapt to this new hole in our toolkit.
As part of our online debate series, our panellists discussed the problems with the current state of play, tactics for rapid rat and mice infestations, and looked at what the next steps for the sector might look like.
Niall Gallagher NG
BPCA (host)
David Lodge DL
Beaver Pest Control
Martin Harvey MH
Harvey Environmental
Scott Johnstone SJ
BPCA
NG Have either of you applied and successfully gotten any licenses since the scheme came into effect?
DL We’re going through the process of one at the moment. To be perfectly honest, Natural England, when we first approached them, wasn’t too sure about the process itself, so that slowed us down. The class licence doesn’t really fit what we actually do, so that’s for hospital theatres, critical infrastructure, and aeroplanes.
We’re also heavily involved in hospitality, so that will be where it would be good for us.
Where we are applying for one, it’s an individual licence, and again, there are limitations as to where that can be applied – places where there are vulnerable people, laboratories and food distribution centres.
There is a fourth area where if there are problems with building work next door, you can apply for an individual licence, so it’s very limited.
Then we also started looking at prices, which would be £535 per licence. You’ve got to create a report on why you would want to go for a licence, so that’s an expenditure. There’s the cost of the boards.
You’ve then got to name and number the boards. You’ve got to be with the boards all night, whereas we used to go back, so there’s the cost of all that night. And then you need someone to support that technician in case something goes wrong, so a contingency plan.
The cost for the client, if we were going to put some profit on, we’d be talking about £2,500 per treatment. I think if the client paid that and there wasn’t complete success, we’d be in trouble.
MH The other thing to remember about the licensing process is that you can only apply for it with one named individual. If that named individual has an accident or is sick, you must start the process again.
You can’t substitute that person even for somebody who’s been through the proper training. But that’s our business; we’re agile, but the system allows no flexibility at all.
SJ The whole argument we had with governments, particularly in England, was that this is to quickly protect already fragile businesses. So the nonsense situation we’re in now is that these tools of last resort are slower than ever and completely out of reach of the most delicate businesses in the UK.
DL It’s been specified that it would be a 30-day turnaround. So, once you apply for an emergency glue board licence, the turnaround period is 30 days.
MH The legislators turned to us long ago and said, 'just use alternatives instead.’ There are no alternatives that act as quickly as a well-carried-out glue
board treatment.
SJ Again, when we were lobbying, we created this table of all the rodent control measures for any given situation. We showed why each measure wouldn’t be appropriate in certain circumstances, such as high-risk environments or when speed was of the essence.
It felt as if we got through to many politicians in the conversations we were having, hence why this licensing scheme was included in the legislation, because obviously in England, there were no plans for any licenses for professional pest control – that is something that we managed to change.
However, by the time it’s gone through Natural England and Defra, we’ve ended up with an inflexible and slow licensing regime.
MH This is not a licensing scheme. This is a ban. They’ve made it so difficult for you to use these things, unless of course you’re an amateur and want to buy them on Amazon. They’ve made it so difficult for the professional user to use them legally, it’s effectively a ban.
SJ Absolutely. As we go through the year, we’ll definitely be looking to see how many licenses have been granted and how many people have even bothered to try to apply for them, given how prescriptive the rules are.
"The legislators turned to us long ago and said, 'just use alternatives instead.’ There are no alternatives that act as quickly as a well-carried-out glue board treatment."
NG Have you seen illegal glue board use go up? Has it gone down? Has the legislation caused more harm by removing glue boards from professional pest controllers?
DL We have. And it’s getting worse. I feel sorry for our technicians who are in a situation where, first of all, you’re meant to deactivate the glue boards. Second, talk to the client as to why they shouldn’t be using them because it’s illegal. Third, if they don’t comply, report them to the police. I would find that difficult, but that is the law.
SJ Who is policing this ban? The answer is that pest controllers are the only people who will legitimately recognise these glue boards and potentially do the right thing here.
From an animal welfare perspective, this is a failed scheme. There are amateur users still using these products, and the people that we argued should still be allowed to use them in limited circumstances are jumping through these long, expensive hoops.
DL And having the right legislation in place would have been so easy. That’s what makes me so angry about it.
MH If there’s going to be a licensing scheme, it should be one where professionally trained pest controllers can use glue boards on a class licence basis wherever they want. They have to provide the information to Defra, which is not a problem.
Reapply for it every year, no problem. Get rid of the individual licence, and let’s get on with it. The sale of glue boards to amateurs and used by amateurs should be completely banned. That will protect businesses and preserve animal welfare.
NG How would you like to go regarding consulting with the government? What can pest controllers do to show what customers are facing?
MH I would get together with voices that are louder than ours – BRC, UK Hospitality. They could give a push on this. We had a tender come through last week, and buried in the specification was a question – what are your alternatives for glue boards?
It illustrates that the big boys in these industries know this is a huge problem.Strength in numbers is the approach we should take.
SJ That was our tactic, and we’ve had many individual retailers come forward and talk about their problems, although usually with an NDA attached. Anonymised stories of clients in approximate locations can help us build a picture and create a compelling case.
Because these tools are controversial, it’s difficult for retailers to stand up and discuss the issue.
NG Any final thoughts or advice for business owners and pest professionals dealing with rapid rodent infestations?
DL Pest controllers are resilient and innovative. I would say communicate with your clients, tell them the pressures we’re under, and don’t undersell your work.
MH Number one is IPM, back to basics. It's always been the answer. IPM, when done properly, gives a long-term result. The other take away from me is to look into remote monitoring because that will also give a long-term result.
SJ If your customers are frustrated by their inability to use glue boards in their premises, share that frustration with them. Ask them to put some pressure on their trade associations like BRC or UK Hospitality or even their local environmental health department.
We need every pest control company, retailer and other trade organisation to get behind us and help us move this forward. We do have an opportunity to make changes here and improve this. This isn't lost, at least in England, and there's still some room to negotiate in Scotland.
Read the full debate at ppconline.org/ppc-news