This Article is Authored By Gururaj Agnihotri, Director, Gumtree Traps Private Limited, Goa.
Founding Member,
Glue Boards Manufacturers Association (GBMA)
NATIONAL, 12 AUGUST, 2024 (TGN): In industries where maintaining sanitary conditions is extremely important, such as food processing and pharmaceuticals, rodent management is kept at a higher level of importance. Glue boards are an essential tool in this need of safety, particularly in environments where poison-based solutions are not practical due to contamination risks such as food and pharma industries.
Functions of Glue Boards
Glue boards play a vital role in environments where traditional rodent control methods could lead to contamination issues. In food processing and pharmaceutical facilities, using poisonous pesticides can pose a serious risk of contaminating products and, therefore, compromising health standards. Glue boards offer a non-toxic, efficient alternative for monitoring and managing rodent populations without introducing harmful substances into these sensitive environments.
These traps work by capturing rodents on a sticky surface. The use of glue boards ensures that facilities can uphold safety regulations and manage rodent issues effectively without relying on hazardous chemicals. Not only in industries, glue boards are also used by farmers and storage units to maintain the quality of their crops and goods.
Real-World Examples in India
The necessity for effective rodent control can be shown by real-world data and incidents in India. According to the Indian Grain Storage Management & Research Institute (IGMRI) Rodents not only destroy crops but also contaminate stored food. The estimate of foodgrains losses by rodents in India range from 2.4 million tons to 26 million tons per year. According to an estimate 6 rats eat one man’s food daily and there are ~2400 million rats in India. According to Panse’s report about 2.5% losses are caused due to rodents in storage. Periodic outbreaks of rodents associated with bamboo flowering cause severe damage ranging from 30% to 98% in Mizoram and 75% to 100% in Arunachal Pradesh. These cause famine like conditions. According to the paper presented to the Apex Level Rodent Control Training (1994), it has been reported that some fields have 100% damage from rodents from West Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh. Despite their bitter taste, chillies and bittergourd are not spared by rodents and in the arid regions (Rajasthan) rodents have been reported to nibble and take away 15–20 kg of chilies from fields daily.
In the food processing industry, the impact of rodent issues can be severe. Such disruptions lead to significant financial losses and potential damage to the company’s reputation and export capabilities. There are countless number of instances of rodent unsafety in restaurants and public places, as latest as 4th of August, where Hyderabad food safety officials found rats in a city restaurant.
The pharmaceutical industry in India also illustrates the importance of glue boards. The need for safety during the manufacturing of drugs highlights the critical need for effective rodent management tools like glue boards, which provide a practical solution to prevent health as well as costly disruptions to the company.
Why the Role of Glue Boards in Food Safety is Critical?
1. Non-Toxic Monitoring: Glue boards allow for effective rodent monitoring without the use of toxic chemicals. This is crucial in food processing areas where any form of poison could lead to contamination of products, posing risks to consumer health and violating safety regulations.
2. Prevention of Contamination: By capturing rodents without poisoning them, glue boards reduce the risk of contaminated bait or dead rodents within the facility. Dead rats by poisoning will lead to further secondary infestation of pests. This is particularly important in food and pharmaceutical sectors, where even minimal contamination can lead to severe consequences.
3. Minimizing Residue Risks: Pesticides and poisons can leave residues that may contaminate food products or pharmaceutical goods. Therefore, many international and national quality and safety standards and other audits do not recommend rodenticides in these critical areas. Glue boards eliminate the need for these chemicals, thereby preventing potential residue-related issues and ensuring higher safety standards.
Potential Consequences of a Glue Board Ban
1. Operational Disruptions: Along with the contamination, Rodent infestations can cause costly disruptions, including operational shutdowns for cleaning and compliance checks. Glue boards help minimize these disruptions by providing an effective, straightforward means to monitor and manage rodent populations.
3. Economic Impact: The food and pharmaceutical industries are crucial to national and global economies. A ban on glue boards could lead to quality and safety issues, potentially affecting exports and causing financial losses.
4. Regulatory Challenges: The absence of glue boards may compel facilities to seek alternative pest management strategies that might not be as effective or cost-efficient, complicating compliance with stringent regulatory requirements.
5. Even though there are PILs filed against the use of glue boards, even though no equally effective alternative has been suggested. This would simply force companies to increase the use of poisonous pesticides which, in-turn is a more unsafe and cruel way to get rid of rodents. Due to these pesticides, rodents die slowly and painfully due to internal bleeding. Not only this, these poisons can pass onto the other animals through food chain. It is important to consult the stakeholders in this matter before taking a decision.
Conclusion
Glue boards are indispensable in managing rodent populations especially where poison is not an option. The implications of banning these tools extend beyond pest control, impacting food safety, pharmaceutical integrity, and economic stability. Real-world examples from India underscore the importance of glue boards in preventing costly disruptions and maintaining high standards in sensitive environments. Stakeholders must recognize the critical role of glue boards and consider the potential repercussions of their ban from the market, without finding any alternative to it.
