PESTAWARE

All farming businesses require protection from pests. And, like agronomists, pest professionals are on hand to help improve productivity and reduce risk on-farm.

But in a largely unregulated market, farmers can fall foul of untrained operators, or even worse, jeopardise their own health and that of their livestock.

In this article, Technical and Compliance Manager at British Pest Control Association, Niall Gallagher, explains the value of professional pest management.

Pests and public health

Pest management is an often highly underrated and overlooked branch of public health. Good pest management protects public health, safeguards our food chain and keeps people and livestock safe from disease.

Every business has a responsibility to demonstrate due diligence in terms of excluding pests and dealing promptly with any infestations that occur. It does not matter what type of business you run, your location or size, you could all be affected by pests, sometimes causing devastating effects.

Rats and mice are a common pest issue for all agricultural businesses, particularly poultry and arable farmers and bird keepers.

Keeping livestock will always be a much higher risk for pest infestations due to the availability of food, warmth, and harbourage; these are the three main factors that pests need to thrive and survive. The key to good pest management is integrated pest management or IPM for short.

Research also indicates that rodents may be vectors in spreading Avian flu, which is why it is even more important for poultry farmers to prioritise rodent management as part of their biosecurity measures.

And it’s not just rodents we are concerned with, as poultry mites (Dermanyssus gallinae) can cause devastating issues. They can reduce egg-laying, lead to ill health and stress, and in the worst case scenario, cause death.

Pest prevention

So, how can you manage the risks? To start with it is always better to be proactive and prevent infestations before they become a major issue.

The best way to do this is to make the environment uninviting for pests.

This, however, can be difficult when you have food and water freely available as well as outbuildings and stores which provide harbourage - all of which pests need to thrive.

Farmers are likely to be at risk of attracting pests simply due to the nature of the business and location.

Good hygiene and housekeeping alongside regular routine inspections to identify potential harbourage areas and food sources will greatly reduce the risk of a pest infestations.

Having waste around your premises can be highly attractive to pests so it is very important to dispose of it as soon as possible and keep areas around your site clean and tidy. A tidy site also makes it much harder for rodents to move around freely.

Cluttered yards or outbuildings provide harbourage as well as hidden routes for rats to move in and become established.

Proofing buildings is another important aspect of preventing pests; making sure that holes and gaps are sealed as soon as possible can reduce the risks of rodents entering and will form part of a good integrated pest management plan.

Mice only need a hole of 6mm or above, with rats needing a hole of 15mm and above to exploit entrance into a building.

The cost of an out-of-control pest infestation can be heavy in terms of damage to stock and equipment. Disease, damage, prosecution and bad publicity can all be caused by unchecked pest infestations, and DIY treatments can often make the infestations much worse.

There is documented rodenticide resistance in the UK and sometimes all businesses end up doing is feeding the population with products that, due to resistance strains, will not work in controlling the infestation.

In addition, by attempting to control rats we can affect their neophobic response which can then make the time to control much longer than it could have been.

In the long run this can cost your business far more than if a pest management programme was put in place with a professional company.

Regular inspections by a trained and competent contractor is the best way to ensure you don’t have any infestations slowly getting out of control undetected.

They will provide a proactive pest management programme with recommendations and advice to reduce the risk of infestations and keep pests in check.

Pick a pest professional

When you are faced with a pest problem or need to get a pest prevention program in place, it can be very confusing and daunting.

Pest management is one of those services that, until we need it, we don’t really know what it is or what we are looking for. We don’t know what good looks like, or why we should choose one provider over another. 

Good pest management should do what it says on the tin. It should manage your pest issues, evaluating and preventing pest issues before they get out of control.

Think of it like your health and safety systems, the risk assessments and safe systems of work you have in place to reduce the risk of having accidents. They won’t necessarily stop incidents occurring, but they will massively reduce the risk.

Pest management is the same. If you have systems in place before problems start, then you massively reduce the risk of pest issues arising in the first place and the quality of those systems really make the difference. Unfortunately, not all pest management companies are made equal. 

Pest management is an unregulated industry. Anyone can wake up one day and decide ‘I want to be a pest controller’ and many do.

Would you just choose someone without qualifications and insurance to fix your electrics? Your gas? Or even to do your health and safety risk assessments? You might be tempted by a lower price, but when it comes to the crunch, safety must take priority.

Pest management contracts

A suitably insured, trained and qualified pest professional can work with you to create a pest management contract.

Regular site inspections with a competent contractor will act as an early warning system, where pest activity can be flagged and dealt with before it becomes a threat to your business or gets out of control.

BPCA make the job of choosing a pest management company easy. All BPCA members meet the same high standard required to become a member and ongoing due to our strict criteria and assessment process.

They are endorsed by the Government via the TrustMark quality scheme, and have all the required insurances, training and CPD, giving you the confidence that they have the skills to look after your premises.

Don’t risk tackling pest by yourself. Call in a professional and be assured you’re in safe hands. 

To find a BPCA member visit: bpca.org.uk/find.