Pest control threshold - acceptable levels for rodents and insects

Hello everyone,
I work in a food processing plant, and right now I am revising my pest control program. I've been told that I need to indicate acceptable levels for rodents and insects, but I don't have idea what I should put as limits. I've been looking for something in the internet, but I think there is almost nothing about this. Do you have any information?
Thanks a lot!
Silvia

Yeah, I got this thrown at me last year. I took the last 3 years results and added 10 to the highest recorded flying insect results, instantly giving me a 100% success rate over the past three years. Go me! When asked how I got the figure, I throw out the "historical analysis" story.
For rodents, I did the same for external, though I kept the acceptable limit for internal as 1 every three months (as close to zero as possible without causing myself any excess work).
Hope my lazyness and ineptitude are of assistance to you.

Erm... rodents, 0 internally!

Ok, being serious, you can't just pick a number out of the air (ok, well apart from saying 0 rodents). A better starting point would be to review your pest control records and trending. What are the current levels? Are they acceptable to you? Can you reduce them?

Then set yourself an objective over the next year. The only certainty to me is 0 rodents internally. As for insects, well not all insects are created equal. In the UK an environmental health officer would shut somewhere down for cockroaches but less likely to for grain beetles, do you get what I mean?

Dear silviapa,

Hopefully you do not hv a pet mouse in or around the premises ! Or a cat for that matter ?

For the non-zero tolerant items, as per previous posts, it usually comes down to trending. Specific "yardsticks" may well be locally related also.

You don't give yr area but this is surely a direct, and probably frequent, question for yr routine rodent control company ??? >>> Validation.

I think some of the previous posts here on this topic have included some specific numbers for certain species of fly, etc. Maybe try a little searching here, eg "trend" gives 161 hits and one immediate starter might be - http://www.ifsqn.com...dpost__p__53420

Rgds / Charles.C

This is a Position Statement put out by the BRC for Issue 5, on what level of non conformity to assign for pest issues. I don't know if it is still valid for issue 6.

It doesn't give precise details, just broad classifications.

One point within it has always mystified me, ie

"Minor

Where a slight evidence of infestation is found resulting from a casual intruder, ie instances of pest ingress of a single occasion or low numbers occur and are appropriately investigated and actioned."

If it has been appropriately investigated and actioned, what further evidence can be supplied to close out the non conformity?

Erm... rodents, 0 internally!

Ok, being serious, you can't just pick a number out of the air (ok, well apart from saying 0 rodents). A better starting point would be to review your pest control records and trending. What are the current levels? Are they acceptable to you? Can you reduce them?

Then set yourself an objective over the next year. The only certainty to me is 0 rodents internally. As for insects, well not all insects are created equal. In the UK an environmental health officer would shut somewhere down for cockroaches but less likely to for grain beetles, do you get what I mean?

Erm... rodents, don't come crying to me when you get that once every five year nibble on a block in a warehouse of fully protected finished product that leaves you stuck on Why number 2 of 5 asking yourself "why did we hire such a brain dead warehouse staff member who fails so consistently in closing a self closing door?" Any non-CCP related KPI with a limit of 0 is a recipe for late night, pre-audit forging. If an auditor asks why your limit is elevated, tell them it's because you are not stupid and that you enjoy the feeling of giving yourself a high five every month when trending your pest control records as sometimes it is the only human contact you ever receive during the month. Face the closest window and start sobbing gently, before muttering "I'm so sorry, can you give me a moment?" Return to the audit smelling of alcohol and slurring your speech approximately an hour later. Take it from a pro, it works a treat.

Dear Foodworker,

Thanks for this intriguing epistle. I don’t recall seeing it on the forum before.

I am surprised that yr mystification was confined to the “minor” component. I thought that was the more intelligible part.

At least one now knows the type of procedure which BRC will seemingly consider a risk assessment. Some shorter acronyms rather came to my mind.

Rgds / Charles.C

Dear Foodworker,

I like your post.