Today, BPCA has written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson asking that pest management professionals be designated key workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Government announced measures yesterday so that "key workers" would be allowed to continue their work unimpeded and has said that schools will be open to some children to facilitate this.
We believe that our members have a critical role to play in managing public health pests during the pandemic, and therefore they should be allowed to continue to work during the pandemic.
BPCA has sent copies of the letter to other key cabinet ministers including:
- The Rt Hon Priti Patel MP Secretary of State for the Home Department
- The Rt Hon Michael Gove MP Minister for the Cabinet Office, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
- The Rt Hon Matt Hancock MP Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
- The Rt Hon Thérèse Coffey MP Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
- The Rt Hon George Eustice MP Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
- The Rt Hon Brandon Lewis MP Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
- The Rt Hon Alister Jack MP Secretary of State for Scotland
- The Rt Hon Simon Hart MP Secretary of State for Wales.
You can read BPCA's full letter below. A pdf version of the letter can be downloaded here.
19 March 2020
The Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP
The Prime Minister
10 Downing Street
London
SW1A 2AA
RE: Designating pest management professionals as key workers during Covid-19 pandemic
Dear Prime Minister -
I write to you to ask for pest management professionals, such as pest control operatives, to be designated key workers during the Covid-19 pandemic. I do so on behalf of the British Pest Control Association (BPCA).
BPCA represents over 700 member companies with a professional interest in pest management, including those that protect hospitals and the food supply chain.
We live and work in extraordinary times, and while we all have significant challenges facing us with the Covid-19 pandemic, public health pest management must not be forgotten.
The professional pest management sector in the UK has a critical role to play in:
- Protecting our nation’s food from farm to fork
- Protecting other essential workers in hospitals and supermarkets
- Protecting the vulnerable and sick from further exposure to diseases
- Protecting the distressed from the mental anguish of an infestation.
Looking to Europe, pest control operatives have been classified as key workers in several countries, including Italy and Spain.
Our members’ invaluable work often goes unnoticed, however it must continue unimpeded during the pandemic.
BPCA has been following and disseminating Government best practice to the pest management community, as well as creating guidance to keep operatives and their clients safe during the pandemic.
Our members are trained, qualified and audited to the British and European standard in pest management (EN 16636), meaning they are best placed to control and manage public health pests during the Covid-19 pandemic.
I expect that you may have many requests on this matter, but I can assure you this is a critical public health matter and needs to be addressed.
BPCA and our members are ready to support the UK during this pandemic. The best thing we can do to help the nation is to continue to work and professionally protect UK citizens.
Pest management companies are also uniquely placed to be able to provide support in slowing the spread of Covid-19.
Our members have the tools and the training to conduct meaningful prophylaxis against pests as part of our everyday work.
With the right direction and a meaningful national strategy, pest professionals have the knowledge, training and available workforce to support hygiene maintenance and disinfection.
Many pest management companies have access to specialised equipment used to control pests that are also regularly used in the application of disinfectants.
If called on, we will support the Government with disinfection and hygiene maintenance during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Thank you for your consideration.
Yours sincerely,
Ian Andrew
Chief Executive
British Pest Control Association (BPCA)
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