Mouse infestation? Keep them outside!

You might have seen the news; two Amsterdam supermarkets have closed their doors and there have been hygiene issues abound at various well-known public locations due to mouse infestation. The costs can be staggering significantly and damage to your well-built reputation. Is it possible to prevent this? 

Whether or not mouse infestation is a national issue is not yet known. The country does not maintain records of the number of infestation reports. Nor are there any known figures about the number of mouse infestations specifically in the food industry and there is no research being done into it. However, the problems seem to be on the rise: specifically in sectors where food is processed, packaged, stored or transported, there are increasing issues with mice. Within these sectors, these problems are rarely discussed in order to avoid negative publicity and damage to reputation. 

Sources of damage

A mouse infestation occurs in warm locations where sufficient food remnants are available and hygiene is poor. A mouse has a gestational period of 19 to 21 days and gives birth to litters of 4 to 9 young, so infestations arise quickly. Mice cause damage to residences, business properties and stock due to their gnawing behaviour. They are known to carry disease, which they spread through their faeces, urine and saliva.

Extremely high control costs

In order to combat mice, businesses set up mouse traps or call in exterminators. They often agree to long-term contracts with professional exterminators. The focus of these exterminators is on catching and eliminating mice and not on preventing them. Although this approach is entirely related to the exterminators’ business model, there are no effective solutions available on the market. In the meantime, costs for businesses are increasing, from a few hundred pounds to several thousand per week for each location (source: gvpm.nl).

“Want to reduce your costs?” Stop pests in their tracks with Em-Flex closures! 

In addition to the hourly control costs, there are repair costs due to product and cable damage (which is accompanied by a high risk of short circuiting, potentially resulting in fire) and more waste is generated. An infestation can lead to a production standstill and in the most serious cases, business closure and as previously mentioned, reputational damage that is nearly impossible to repair. Audits by the NVWA (Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority) have become stricter: there are no more warnings and fines are getting progressively higher. Damage from gnawing by rodents is not reimbursed by most insurance companies.

A structural solution

“Pest control is always a temporary solution,” says an Em-Flex source. “If nothing is done about the fact that pests are able to enter the property, then you are essentially fighting a losing battle. That’s not what an entrepreneur wants, right? All it takes is a one-time investment to keep the mice away from your door as effectively as possible. In the long term, that will save you from a lot of issues and expenses. Better said; want to reduce your costs? Don’t control pests, prevent them!” 

Don’t give pests a chance

The source recommends opening up your budget for a truly effective solution. The solution has recently been created, it is specially designed for the food and pharmaceutical industries, bakeries and supermarkets, but is also highly suited for use in restaurants as well as locations such as schools. “Pest prevention starts with an informative process for everyone at the business,” says the source. “Working under clean conditions, keeping an eye on hygiene and establishing rules for addressing food remnants are all essential. Furthermore, simply closing up access points to the property is important. Critically assess your building; look at the walls and drains. For areas that are often open, we offer a universal, truly effective and most importantly, sustainable solution; Em-Flex closures. Our seals offer unique incorporated rodent protection. They can be used with nearly all loading docks and existing overhead, rolling and entrance doors worldwide, without any construction adjustments being made. After the quick and easy placement, they will yield significant annual savings on overheads. Furthermore, these solutions enable the sector to satisfy ever-stricter regulations and standards, such as HACCP, IPS and BREEAM. Em-Flex features testimonials from various satisfied clients on their website.” 

Em-Flex.eu