FARMING: Gloucestershire farmers will benefit from new industry standards

First published in News by Stuart Rust, reporter covering Dursley, Cam, Sharpness, Slimbridge, Kingscote, Stone, Coaley, Berkeley, Uley, Woodford, North Nibley, Wotton-under-Edge, Kingswood, Stinchcombe and Cambridge

FARMERS in Gloucestershire are set to benefit from the launch of a new industry standard for pest control.

The initiative is designed to promote professional standards for pest control companies throughout the European Union.

It was launched at a conference on Tuesday organised by the umbrella trade body for urban pest control, the Confederation of European Pest Management Associations (CEPA).

CEPA President Bertrand Montmoreau believes the changes will have far-reaching benefits, particularly for the farming industry.

This will ensure pest controllers can benchmark themselves against the best in Europe and thats great news for farmers," he said.

We know that in many European markets, there are some pest controllers who are untrained and do not stay up-to-date with the latest products, pests and legislation, and that can create big problems for us all.

But with the new standard and certification scheme, farmers can be totally confident theyre getting a professional service.

It was five years ago CEPA set out to develop a standard by which professional companies in pest management could be measured. Now, the standard and accompanying certification scheme delivers that concerted and co-ordinated strategy.

Mr Montmoreau added: This will enable us to portray a positive image to the general public of the vital role that our industry plays at a European level in terms of public health, food safety, environmental sustainability and economic significance. It is a key part of our effort to protect citizens responsibly.

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FARMING: Gloucestershire farmers will benefit from new industry standards