Pest Control in Dairy Industry
“An FBO must realize that pest management is a process, not a one-time event, and that relying solely on chemical controls when so many other tools are available is never the best solution.”
Dairy industry is perhaps the trickiest industry when it comes to controlling the pests. Despite the various measures carried out to keep the dairy products pure and germ-free, one pest is all it takes to ruin the entire lot of production.
The pests can:
• Cause contamination of dairy products by their droppings which contain bacteria and other microorganisms.
• Spoil products by eating part of it
• The disease causing germs are carried by them on various parts of their bodies and can lead to serious diseases to people who eat the products contaminated by them.
Pest control program should effectively eradicate pest from the dairy premises. The steps involved are:
I. Exclusion of pests: It involves preventing the entry of pests in the premises.
• All the doors should be kept tightly closed and fitting; windows shall be 3 track types with mosquito /fly proof wire-mesh for preventing entry of insects but allowing cross ventilation.
• Use of Air curtains on main doors/ entry points is quite effective.
II. Removing food sources by good practices: It involves implementing GMP and GHP in the plant.
• Employees should be sensitized for any garbage around the production areas as they will be potential source for pest to thrive.
• The employees should be encouraged to have their lunches in designated areas only.
• Employees should report any sighting / evidence of pests so that timely action could be taken for removing the pests and stop its multiplication
“A pest infestation can put any FBO’s business at risk because nobody wants to find something in the product that is not on the label.”
III. Controlling pests with appropriate methods: Different pests need different treatment for effective removal.
• The type of pest will enable plant personnel to choose appropriate method for controlling them.
• Rats and mice can be effectively controlled by use of bait stations and mouse traps.
• The fly catcher that have inbuilt sticky pad shall be located prominently and at an appropriate height. The UV light in fly catcher attracts the pests like flies and mosquitoes and the sticky pads hold the insect.
• There are various chemicals available in the market, however the chemicals should be of approved make and suitable to be used in Dairy industry. Their usage should not cause any harmful side effects to the operational staff and contaminate food by their odor etc. But the effect on the targeted pests should be maximum.
IV. Specific procedures/records: It involves maintaining records for future references as well as evolving more effective method to avoid recurrence.
• Checks should be performed from time to time for pest infestation verification. Observation should be recorded and reports should be properly maintained by the employees.
Key steps involved in the pest control program:
1. Inspection
2. Preventive Action
3. Identification
4. Analysis
5. Treatment Selection
6. Monitoring
7. Documentation