Businesses working in the food production and manufacturing industries rely on accreditations from organisations such as the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and American Institute of Bakeries (AIB) to secure contracts for their goods.
Pest control is one of several key areas of assessment for companies who want to achieve these standards, and they need to be reaccredited with them each year. We work with a number of businesses who need these national and international standards in order to win new contracts for their services.
But, many businesses undervalue the importance of working with a professional pest control team to ensure they are meeting the criteria needed for these accreditations.
“Every company has budgets to stick to, but for those in the food production industry, pest control is a service that is an essential, not a luxury,” said Martin Harvey, managing director of Harvey Environmental Services.
“In an AIB inspection, pest control forms one fifth of the testing criteria, and points will be deducted if pest control companies or field biologists have failed to attend any of their required inspections, management reviews or pest awareness training sessions haven’t taken place and if fly control units and external monitor boxes haven’t been regularly inspected and serviced.
“Some pest control companies will promise businesses the earth at low prices to secure a contract, but then won’t be able to carry out the inspections and monitoring needed to ensure they meet the high standards required by organisations like the AIB and BRC.
“Missed pest control visits and equipment inspections can’t be airbrushed from a company’s records so it is important when employing pest control specialists that reliability and a proven track record of helping companies achieve their required accreditations are taken into account, as much as the monthly cost of the pest control contract.
“Whilst companies might believe a low cost pest control contract is saving them money, it could end up costing them much more in the future.”
To find out more about how Harvey Environmental Services have helped companies with their BRC and AIB audits, please contact us on 01282 866554 or email enquiries@harveyenviro.com
