Food for thought: birds and food production – not a good combination

Most of us think favourably of birds and like to encourage them into our gardens; however, birds can become a health and safety nuisance if they roost in the wrong places, possibly spreading disease. This is especially a concern for businesses that produce food.

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Manifestation of a bird infestation

When the weather gets colder, birds may search for indoor places to roost or nest. If this happens in your building, you could have a problem on your hands. If you run a business associated with food or food production, a bird infestation could breach health and safety regulations.

Disease carriers

According to Food Safety News, birds can be the source of many pathogenic micro-organisms, including campylobacter, listeria, E coli and salmonella. It is the risk of faecal matter transfer that is the big concern, whether directly on or in food, equipment or water sources. While we might not think of birds as disease carriers, they can be just as problematic as other pests such as rats and mice.

Avoiding bird infestations

How can you avoid birds roosting in or near your property? There are lots of ways to keep unwanted flocks of birds away. The key thing is to make the area as unattractive to birds as possible. According to Food Safety magazine, you should consider the installation of automatic closing doors for exterior openings, exclusion netting, bird spikes on perching sites, or bird scare devices.

Fixing holes and entry points and keeping areas clean and free from potential sources of food for birds are vital measures to take.

Once a bird feels unwelcome, it will move to another area where it feels safer.

Expert help

Tackling bird infestations may require expert help, especially for indoor areas that may be more difficult to modify. For the safe running of your business and whether you need nuisance bird management in London or elsewhere, professionals such as http://www.vvenv.co.uk/ have the knowledge to safely and humanely put an end to your problem.

Once you recognise you have a bird infestation problem, you need to tackle it straight away, as it may only get worse. Crucially, if you compromise health and safety and particularly if your business produces food, you might end up having to shut up shop until you address the problem.