This blog unpacks European Rodenticide Legislation and their impacts on pest control practices. Join us as we explore the changing landscape of pest management, focusing on countries like Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and the UK. How will these regulations influence your pest control approach? What does the future of sustainable pest management look like? We invite you to read, reflect, and engage in the conversation.
The Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR)
At the heart of European Rodenticide Legislation on rodenticides lies the Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR, Regulation (EU) 528/2012). The BPR governs the use and sale of biocidal products, striving to ensure the market’s functionality without compromising the protection of humans and the environment.
Restricting Anticoagulant Rodenticides
Under the BPR, the most significant development is the restrictions on anticoagulant rodenticides. Although effective against rodents, these products have proven harmful to non-target wildlife, leading to strict usage restrictions.
BPR Implementation Across Nations
Germany
In Germany, the BPR is implemented by the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA). Rodenticides must align with EU restrictions, with only certified professionals allowed to use certain high-risk products.
The Netherlands
The Board for the Authorization of Plant Protection Products and Biocides (Ctgb) oversees BPR implementation in the Netherlands. This country has further advanced non-chemical rodent control methods and restricted rodenticide use. Both inside and outside buildings.
Belgium
In Belgium, the Federal Public Service (FPS) Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment ensures BPR compliance. Like other countries, Belgium uses a certification system for professional rodenticide users to ensure safe usage.
United Kingdom
Despite leaving the EU, the UK has kept the BPR in its domestic law. Therefore, rodenticide restrictions and professional user certification requirements still apply.
Other Essential EU Regulations
Understanding and complying with additional regulations is crucial for pest controllers:
Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Regulation
The CLP Regulation ensures hazardous chemicals, including rodenticides, are appropriately classified, labelled, and packaged. In the PestScan software, it is possible to label all products with hazardous substances. The product safety sheets are visible to the customer in the customer portal.
REACH Regulation
The REACH Regulation mandates safe management of chemicals, requiring pest controllers to ensure their products comply with REACH requirements.
This is done by better and earlier identification of the intrinsic properties of chemical substances and by taking measures, such as phasing out or restricting substances of very high concern. REACH also aims to enhance innovation and the competitiveness of the EU chemicals industry.
Directive on Sustainable Use of Pesticides (SUD)
While primarily aimed at agricultural pesticides, the SUD promotes integrated pest management (IPM) and reduced chemical pesticide use, both relevant principles for pest controllers.
The European rodenticide legislation represents an essential step towards sustainable, humane, and environmentally friendly pest control. By understanding and complying with these regulations, stakeholders can help protect our ecosystems without compromising effective pest control.
Impact of European Rodenticide Legislation on pest control companies
The European Union’s legislation on rodenticides and related regulations do more than just restrict certain substances—they usher in a new era of pest control, where Integrated Pest Management (IPM) plays a central role. IPM is an ecosystem-based strategy that focuses on long-term prevention of pests or their damage through a combination of techniques such as biological control, habitat manipulation, modification of cultural practices, and the use of resistant varieties.
Directive on Sustainable Use of Pesticides (SUD) and IPM
The Directive on Sustainable Use of Pesticides (SUD) particularly promotes the principles of IPM, emphasizing that chemical pesticides should be considered a last resort. The directive urges professionals to first exhaust all other possibilities, such as monitoring for pest presence, setting damage thresholds, and considering non-chemical methods of control.
Role of Monitoring and Preventive Measures
Monitoring, a core principle of IPM, becomes even more critical under the new regulations. With restrictions on the use of anticoagulant rodenticides, pest controllers are encouraged to invest in regular monitoring and early detection methods. This approach allows pest controllers to detect rodent presence and act before a full-blown infestation occurs. With the PestScan software you can monitor and analyze the developments in infestation in high detail, so you can act early in the process when infestation level rises. PestScan becomes even more powerful when linking up with electronic monitoring devices such as electronic mouse and rat traps.
Alternatives to Chemical Control
The regulations further spur the development and usage of alternative rodent control methods. The limitations on chemical rodenticides have led pest controllers to explore other options, such as traps, biological control, or the use of rodent deterrents.
Training and Certification
Lastly, the requirements for training and certification in the usage of certain rodenticides indirectly promote the use of IPM. As professionals undergo training, they gain a deeper understanding of rodent behaviour, the risks and benefits of different control methods, and the broader ecosystem effects of their actions. This understanding enables them to implement more effective and sustainable pest management strategies.
Many end customers of pest management companies have to comply with one or more food safety certificates. Important standards are IFS food, BRC food, ISO22000 and HACCP. All these certificates require a targeted pest management approach. Knowing this, it is important to be able to do precise recording with a digital logbook, such as PestScan.
In conclusion, the EU legislation on rodenticides dovetails with the principles of Integrated Pest Management, pushing the industry towards a more sustainable, environmentally friendly approach to pest control. As pest controllers adapt to these new rules, they will find that IPM offers an effective and efficient strategy for managing rodents while protecting our valuable ecosystems.