Integrated Pest Management
IPM is the approach every major UK food, retail and hospitality standard now expects. Shield’s programmes are designed by BPCA-qualified field biologists and documented from the first survey onwards.
At a Glance
Integrated pest management is a structured, risk-based approach to pest control that prioritises inspection, prevention and monitoring over routine pesticide application. Treatment is used only where a documented risk assessment justifies it, in the lowest-impact form available. UK food safety standards including BRCGS, SALSA, Red Tractor and ISO 22000 expect a documented IPM programme rather than a reactive spray-and-bait service.
How IPM Works
The sequence matters. Each step reduces the work the next one has to do, and treatment sits last rather than first.
A site survey and written pest risk assessment identify entry points, harbourage, attractants and the pressure already present, zone by zone.
Proofing, exclusion and environmental management remove the conditions pests need — sealing, drainage, waste handling, storage discipline and door management.
Monitoring points, insect monitors and electronic fly killers record activity continuously, so a change in pressure is visible between visits rather than discovered at one.
Proportionate intervention, only where the risk assessment justifies it, under CRRU and COSHH, chosen for the lowest impact that will resolve the problem.
Why Auditors Expect It
Auditors are not looking for the absence of pests. They are looking for evidence that you understand and manage the risk.
Site-specific and zone by zone, reviewed when the building, process or pressure changes.
Evidence that proofing and hygiene were addressed, not just that bait was replaced.
Dated readings per numbered point, traceable to a place on the site plan.
Interpretation of the pattern over time, not a list of counts.
A recorded reason for every treatment, with product, dose and operator.
Evidence the programme changed when the data said it should.
Prevention in Practice
Most commercial infestations trace back to a small number of recurring physical and behavioural failures.
Doors propped during goods movement, worn brush seals, gaps under shutters.
Open drains, damaged covers, service voids and ceiling cavities used as harbourage.
Vegetation against the building, standing water, pallets and waste stored tight to walls.
Bin areas too close to openings, lids left open, spillage not cleared between collections.
Stock against walls, no inspection gap, old stock never rotated out of the corners.
Unsealed pipe penetrations, damaged cladding, roof access points left open.
Responsible Control
Permanent baiting as a default is no longer accepted practice, and the CRRU Code sets clear expectations on rodenticide stewardship to protect barn owls, kestrels, red kites and other non-target wildlife. Shield leads with proofing, mechanical and non-toxic monitoring, and environmental management, escalating to rodenticide only where the risk assessment justifies it and recording the justification when we do. The result is less product used on site and a stronger evidence trail behind every decision.
By Sector
AI Pest Management
IPM generates more evidence than reactive pest control, not less — risk assessments, proofing recommendations, monitoring readings, trend interpretation and the justification behind every intervention. Insectram holds all of it in one portal, tracks each recommendation through to photographed close-out, and lets your auditor read the record directly for whatever window they ask for.
Client Feedback
“Shield’s audit compliance support for our BRCGS certification has been invaluable. Their knowledge of the standards has made our audits much more streamlined.”
Food Manufacturing
“Shield’s commercial pest control service is impressive. Their technicians are professional and thorough, ensuring our warehouse remains pest-free.”
Warehousing
“We’ve been using Shield’s Insectram reporting system and it has changed how we manage pest control. Real-time updates and trend analysis keep us proactive.”
Multi-site Facilities
An IPM programme begins with a field biologist walking your site and writing the risk assessment. Shield does that free of charge and without obligation, and you keep the assessment whether or not you appoint us.
A: No. It means pesticide is used where it is justified, recorded with a reason, and not applied routinely as a default.
A: No, and that is the most common misunderstanding. IPM works because inspection, prevention, monitoring and control operate together; removing any one of them undermines the others.
A: A documented IPM programme is what BRCGS Issue 9, SALSA Issue 7, Red Tractor and HACCP-based standards ask for. The documentation is what satisfies the auditor, and it is produced by the service.
