This week’s interview with Alain van Lidth de Jeude majors on the importance of Integrated Pest Management and its significance to the professional pest control industry.

Alain van Lidth de Jeude is regional director for Rentokil Pest Control with responsibility for Latin America and Europe. Since 2006 Alain has been involved with CEPA (Confederation of European Pest Management Associations) not only as a member of the board of directors, but also in the position of treasurer.

Alain details how important CEPA is, especially in its role striving for a better world within the professional pest management industry. Our Talking Pest Management host, Daniel Schröer, raises the subject of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and the significance within this of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). What is so important about IPM?
To the uneducated, pest control simply involves catching pests, but Alain explains how inaccurate this description is. Professional control is all about preventative programs to make sure there are no pests in your environment. IPM is all about advising, consulting and guiding so as to avoid any pest infestation – without pests you don’t need any chemicals.

Quizzed as to the value of the MoU to stakeholders and why stakeholders should sign-up, Alain uses an analogy from the medical world to explain its worth. Everyone understands the value when they are ill of being treated by a certified professional – a doctor. A doctor is a skilled and trained professional, a doctor can make the correct diagnosis and prescribe appropriate treatment. The same is true of a pest professional. They are trained, updated, informed of new techniques and only use chemicals as a last resort.

Alain stresses that it is the moral commitment of all stakeholders to only collaborate and use the services of those companies with trained professionals who comply with the principles of IPM.