Comtec is setting up a pest control consultancy unit by autumn, aimed at companies in the UK, Germany and Belgium.

General manager Kim Wright estimates that there are about 6,800 entities that would potentially require their expertise, in sectors ranging from food processing to pharmaceuticals, and from highly-controlled manufacturing plants to hospitals. The unit will offer audits as well as risk assessments.

Pest control is now specified in international health and hygiene standards - but it is not yet defined in Maltese ones. Comtec is working with the Malta Standards Authority to draw up standards.

"Pest control is referred to in the regulations laid down by the Malta Tourism Authority, the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association and the Public Health Inspectorate. But if standards are to be encouraged then the clients need to know what they are. So we will be setting down the requirements for maintenance programmes, frequency of prevention and so on," he said.

The standards will be voluntary but they will give a context, as well as certifying the pest control services. Mr Wright would prefer a more assertive system.

"It is a shame that the authorities do not 'name and shame'. How can the public assess their personal risk if they do not know that entities do not meet standards?" he said.

Of course, even the compliant food and beverage outlets prefer not to remind patrons about pest control. The adage that prevention is better than cure could have been written with pest control in mind.

The approach has changed over the decades. In the past, companies were only called in to deal with existing infestations of insects or rodents, which usually involved bombarding the premises with toxic chemicals. The emphasis has moved dramatically towards prevention: Clients avoid the potential harmful effects and possible diseases spread by the infestation; and only a fraction of the chemicals are required, at far lower levels of toxicity.

The attitude has also changed as a result of more stringent regulations in various sectors, from catering outlets to the manufacture of medical equipment.

"Our clients do not only have to satisfy local regulations but also those of their overseas clients," Mr Wright said. "If you found evidence of just one pest in a plant that manufactures pharmaceuticals or medical equipment, it would compromise the whole batch. Imagine the expense of losing the batch and of halting everything until the origin was found.

"There are also very strict controls on when sprays and chemicals can be used in food preparation and food processing areas. You cannot use pesticide unless there is evidence of infestation.

"It is important to know whether a pest was brought in with external supplies or whether it is breeding on the premises. This way the treatment is kept to the minimum required. Most of our clients who have regular preventative programmes do not require action at all."

Many clients have prevention programmes based on monitoring through the use of traps containing pheromone-infused pads. Comtec is also working with an IT company to develop software that would analyse data on infestations and treatments, which it believes will be a commercial success.

Technical manager Joanie Mifsud, who recently obtained a diploma in pest control from the University of Warwick, explained that with time pests become more resistant to insecticides and rodenticides.

"This means that more toxic chemicals must be used. It is certainly better from a health and from an operational point of view to prevent rather that to treat!"

The change has meant pest control is no longer a case of operators walking around all day with heavy spraying equipment. They need to understand building design, drainage and air-conditioning, as well as a host of standards including the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (better known as HACCP). They are also trained in the biological aspects of the pest, for example, learning about territorial behaviour that determines whether pests return to a spot that has been cleared. Training is organised by the company's technical director Ronnie Galea, who will be heading the consultancy unit, along with Ms Mifsud and another employee.

Comtec was set up in Malta in 1967 by Briton Dennis Boocock and George Callus and now has 30 employees serving over 25,000 clients. As part of its 40th anniversary celebrations, it is organising a seminar on April 3 at the Grand Hotel Mercure San Antonio in Qawra on the topic Pest Control Strategies and HACCP - New Approaches to Old Pest Problems.

Further information and bookings may be made on tel. 2180 0666 or joanie.mifsud@comtecpestcontrol.com

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