Why Pest Control?
Money
Pest infestations cost businesses money. Pests damage and contaminate food, gnaw through electrical cables and cause disease. As an owner of a food business it is your responsibility to deal with pests effectively.
Diseases & Contamination
Mice and rats carry Salmonella bacteria which is a major cause in food poisoning. Rats can transmit Weil's disease which can cause Jaundice or possible death. Rodent droppings, urine and rodent hair can contaminate products.
Not forgetting the cockroach with their filthy habits of regurgitating partly digested food, often dropping faeces as they are eating, and leaving behind a trail of hazardous bacteria over everything that they touch, make them one of the most obnoxious and potentially dangerous contaminators of human food. As a result, they spread disease organisms which are among the main causes of Diarrhoea, Dysentery, Hepatitis, Typhoid, Leprosy and even Dermatitis.
Legislation
REGULATION (EC) Nº 852/2004 on the hygiene of Foodstuffs (PDF) states that businesses must ensure that the layout, design, construction and size of food premises shall permit good food hygiene practices, including protection against cross contamination between and during operations by external sources of contamination such as pests.
The Regulations also require that adequate procedures be in place to ensure pests are controlled. Setting up a pest control contract is good practice, but remember that the ultimate responsibility for any pest problem lies with the owner of the food business. The premises must be periodically checked for signs of pest presence. The laying of baits and poisons should be left to the professionals as commercially available insecticides are not adequate for use in food businesses.
If pest activity is detected by an Inspector from Sanidad at your premises, you run the risk of the business being closed. If this occurs you will lose trade, gain bad publicity and possibly be fined.
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