Since the UK Rodenticides Stewardship Regime started in 2016, BASIS has worked with the Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use (CRRU) to promote sustainable use of professional rodenticides. This programme has now been supporting the pest control industry for the past five years, and it is therefore the perfect time to reflect on the impact this scheme has had, and how BASIS has supported it.
From the start, a key part of the stewardship regime was to ensure that anyone purchasing professional rodenticides could prove their competence having successfully completed a period of training and a formal assessment, or as a member of a CRRU-approved farm assurance scheme. BASIS supports multiple CRRU-approved courses to help facilitate this, and it has been great to see since the outset a huge number of new entrants to the industry meeting this required level of competence.
Following completion of a professional qualification, CRRU strongly recommends that pest technicians continue to develop their knowledge through a recognised Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Scheme. The PROMPT Register, administered by BASIS, is widely recognised throughout the industry and facilitates this continuation of learning through a range of approved CPD activities. This includes a number of events and resources provided by CRRU which focus on rodenticide stewardship and best practice when using professional products.
A critical dimension of BASIS support for rodenticides stewardship is a Rodenticide Point-of-Sale Audit, launched in 2018. This independent audit ensures any company supplying professional rodenticides carries out the required competence checks at point-of-sale, therefore preventing professional rodenticides being sold to unqualified customers. The level of compliance has been extremely high, with 93% of outlets achieving certification in 2020.
CRRU chairman Dr Alan Buckle says, “Any success that we have had in changing hearts and minds about the way rodenticides should be used is in no small part assisted by support from BASIS. The stewardship regime simply could not operate in the way it does without such point-of-sale controls.”
BASIS continues to support the pest control industry through our qualifications, PROMPT Register and point-of-sale audits, and we are looking forward to continuing our work with CRRU over the next five years and beyond.
