With pest management under the spotlight, particularly regarding glue boards, the British Pest Control Association has spent more time than ever monitoring what’s happening in the UK parliament and the devolved administrations.
Glue Traps (Offences) Act – what will glue board licensing look like?
BPCA sat around a (virtual) table with Defra and other stakeholders for an initial discussion about what glue board licensing in England might look like when it’s phased in in 2024.
BPCA stated:
- The individual should be licensed, not the employer or not the client;
- Licences should be a minimum of one year;
- The person should require training to a specific standard; and
- The person being licensed should require CPD related to rodent control and glue boards, verified by compliance on a CPD scheme.
While Defra is still in the early stages of deciding how to licence glue boards, the organisation was clear that it did not believe general licences would be viable, leaving the option of class licences or individual licences.
Defra also maintains that the licensing scheme should be only available in exceptional cases when there is a significant risk to public health.
Dee Ward-Thompson, BPCA’s head of technical, said: “The reason we require the use of glue boards is for the rapid control of infestations on sensitive sites, like hospital wards and care homes. If licences need to be issued on a case-by-case basis, then this could render glue boards useless too.”
Bird control licences
Northern Ireland Environment Agency
The withdrawn consultation on bird licences in Northern Ireland was relaunched and is now closed. BPCA submitted evidence on behalf of its members.
Product registrations
The Health and Safety Executive has previously advised that the registration process would be streamlined post-Brexit and now appear to be taking action to do this.
A survey regarding transition has been sent to registration holders to understand how prepared companies are. BPCA is watching this transition carefully to see how it’ll affect users and public health pest control products.
Plant protection products register
If you use professional plant protection products as part of your work, or if you have professional PPPs applied by a third party as part of your work in agriculture, horticulture, the amenity sector or forestry in Great Britain, then you must now notify Defra.
The Official Controls (Plant Protection Products) Regulations 2020 apply the Official Controls Regulations (OCR) to PPPs in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales).
The registration deadline was June 22, 2022, but Defra is currently still accepting registrations.