[International Pest Control] A European Perspective

Although it may surprise pest management professionals in the United States, the pest control industry in Europe isn’t all that different than what is experi-enced here every day. European pest management professionals struggle against a maturing market and have the same methods for getting products to market. But there are some differences, including a wide range of countries and a smaller market overall.

Rob Fryatt, the commercial director for Sorex International, spoke about the European pest control market at the recent Whitmire Micro-Gen Institute of Technology in Toronto.

SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES. There are several similarities between the European and North American pest management markets. For example, Fryatt said both markets use the same channels to market their products (i.e., products go from manufacturer to distributor to service company). The two markets also have a similar range of active ingredients.

Anti-competition legislation and a maturing market also exist in both markets, Fryatt said.

But there are several differences between the two markets. For example, while PCOs in the United States must contend with regulations in 50 states, PCOs in Europe must contend with 42 different countries. That means there are 42 sets of national laws and borders, as well as a number of different languages and regulatory requirements.

And in Europe, Fryatt added, the pest management business model is based around commercial, not residential, work.

MARKET SIZE AND SHAPE. Regarding the insect control market, Fryatt said that termite control is a small and emerging market in France and Spain only.

"Ants and cockroaches are the main pests," he said. "Wasp nest control is normally a significant summer business…there are lots of wasps in the summer."

Europe contends with black and Argentine ants, as well as many of the same cockroach species. "Fly control through ILTs and ULV is a key growth area regarding food hygiene," Fryatt added.

Also, monitoring and non-pesticide devices are an increasingly important market for European PCOs.

The rodent control market is significant, especially in North Europe. "PCOs are increasing their use of bait placements in secured boxes and monitoring before baiting," Fryatt said. The number of roof rats (Rattus rattus) are growing but countries there experience minimal resistance issues. "A wide range of actives and formulations are available," Fryatt said.

One interesting difference is that in Europe, glueboards are used minimally. "They are seen as an activity of last resort," Fryatt said, because, "there is a humaneness issue in Europe. We don’t use them unless we absolutely have to."

He said PCOs also encounter the same "humaneness issues" when using live-catch traps.

The bird control market in Northern Europe is well developed, according to Fryatt, and Southern and Eastern Europe are fast-growing markets for the service.

The bird control market has moved from protecting older buildings to bird-proofing factories, hotels and commercial buildings as an awareness of birds as disease carriers increases. "Gulls (seabirds) are becoming an increasing problem," he added. "There are increasing numbers of reports of humans being attacked by birds."

EUROPEAN MARKET ISSUES. Fryatt says there are four key issues facing the European market: the regulatory environment, environmental taxes, the influence of the "green" consumer, and the influence of the food supply chain.

The Biocidal Products Directive is legislation from the European Union that was passed in 1991 and follows a previous Agricultural Products Directive. The legislation covers a wide range of products and markets — including pest control — and thus far, 126 products have been lost for agricultural use.

Environmental taxes are a significant concern within Europe, particularly, Fryatt said, as it relates to the safe disposal of pesticides, increased recycling of waste, problems of landfills and incineration, and reduction in packaging waste. There continues to be increasing national legislation regarding such environmental issues.

Influence of the "green consumer," is playing an increasingly important role. Like in North America, Fryatt said there are a growing number of consumers with anti-pesticide attitudes. "For example, organic food is no longer ‘niche’ but part of the middle class shopping basket in many European countries," Fryatt said.

The "food supply chain" refers to pest control in and around supermarkets and other food-related areas. Consumers in Europe are increasingly looking for organic foods and suppliers are audited for trace levels of pesticides. Therefore, the work that pest management professionals do in such areas is limited. For example, PCOs can only bait for rodents after monitoring, electrocution of insects is not allowed, and live trapping of mice is prohibited, among others.

SUMMARY. Although there are many similarities between the European and North American pest control markets, there are some differences as well. Europe has a smaller market than North America because insect pressures there are less. Broadly, the two regions have generally the same supply chain and suppliers. Regulatory standards continue to be addressed and increasing environmental influences are imposed on the industry. In addition, the supply chain continues to adjust to the consolidation of major agrochemical suppliers.