Vermin can cause major issues for agricultural companies. From damaging farm buildings to chewing electrical wiring, bothering livestock, or causing a health hazard, pests can cause significant damage to farms.
The nature of most farms means that they are likely to attract common pests, including rats, mice, fleas and pest birds.
Thankfully, Countrywide offers expert agricultural pest control services to help protect your property, livestock, crops and stored products from the threat of pests, ensuring you remain legally compliant and open for business, allowing your business to prosper.
Call our office today on 0800 078 7255 to discuss your requirements with a team member and book your free site survey.
Countrywide's Pest Control Services for the Agricultural Industry
Our entire range of pest control treatments and proofing methods is available for commercial clients in the agricultural industry as one-off treatments to deal with an active infestation and control pests quickly. Over the years, Countrywide has helped arable farmers, dairy farmers, and livestock farmers to remove rodent, insect and bird infestations on their property swiftly and discreetly using environmentally safe treatments.
As well as one-off treatments, we offer annual pest control contracts for farms and agricultural businesses across Berkshire, Hampshire, Wiltshire and Oxfordshire. Having worked with multiple farms for a number of years, we know that rural sites attract plenty of pests, and sometimes it’s more important to focus on integrated pest management than aiming to achieve 100% pest control in agricultural locations.
Pests love to take advantage of the large amounts of food and water that are readily available on a farm, but with the use of expert deterrents and proofing measures, we can help to keep pest infestations at bay. We also offer pest tracking and monitoring services, with regular monthly visits and site surveys, to catch infestations early and minimise the damage caused.
With our pest management contracts, you can rest easy knowing your farm remains compliant with vital guidelines set out by agricultural compliance bodies, including Assured Food Standards, the Food and Feed Code, COSSH legislation, the Soil Association and Organic Farmers & Growers and the ACCS. Plus, our pest control treatments are all compliant with the extensive demands of farming auditors.
Using the help of a commercial pest control company, like Countrywide, which specialises in pest control for farms, means all treatment methods are safe for use and approved by agricultural compliance bodies. Farms attract all types of pests, from rodents to insects and birds, but we’re here to help no matter the animal.
Our local technicians cover the areas of Berkshire, Hampshire, Wiltshire, and Oxfordshire, delivering expert pest control treatments to farms across the South East of England. So, if you’ve noticed pests call now on 0800 078 7255 for a free site survey.
Common Agricultural Pests
Farms attract a wide range of pests, including rodents, insects, and birds. In order to stay protected, it’s essential to know what to look out for, so let’s take a look at the type of pests you can expect to find on your farm:
- Stored Product Insects, often referred to as SPIs, include insects like beetles and moths that will infest your grains and other products, making them unfit for human consumption and purchase.
- Rodents, including mice and rats, will be attracted to crops on your rural land and open spaces for shelter.
- Birds, including pigeons and seagulls, will also take advantage of the availability of food sources on your farm and build their nests on your property.
- Rabbits are common on arable farmland, eating their way through crops and destroying your land by digging their burrows.
- Moles also cause problems to farmland and are typically found taking advantage of your land, dramatically reducing your land’s productivity.
As you can see, farms attract all types of pests, which is why it’s so vital that you take the appropriate measures to deter them and prevent infestations.
Signs of Pests on a Farm
Without our regular surveys and monitoring techniques, it can be difficult to determine the presence of pests on your agricultural land. So, to help you identify a pest infestation on your premises, we’ve put together a list of telltale signs to look out for:
- Regular sightings of rodents and birds
- Gnaw marks on wooden items and electrical cables
- A buildup of bird droppings
- Disturbed or itching livestock
- Holes on the exterior of your facilities that could be used as access points
- Diseased crops or plants
- Half-eaten and damaged crops
- Destroyed product packaging
If you’ve noticed any of these signs on your agricultural premises, then it’s highly likely you’re suffering from an active pest infestation and require the immediate help of a pest control professional.
Call 0800 078 7255 to book your site survey now, and our local technicians will be with you as soon as possible.
Issues Caused by Pests on Agricultural Land
Once pests decide to call your farm home, they will cause a wide range of problems to your buildings, crops, livestock, machinery and staff. We’ve helped numerous agricultural companies across Berkshire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire, and Wiltshire with their pest problems, meaning we’ve seen firsthand the damage they can cause. Here are some of the most common issues we’ve seen:
- Rodents and birds will consume large amounts of your crops and stored products, reducing the amount available to sell and thereby your profits. They will also eat seeds and grains, affecting your product yields and overall success. Rodents will also defecate and urinate wherever they go, contaminating your products with numerous diseases and making them unsafe for human consumption.
- Most pests, whether rodents, birds or insects, carry diseases and pathogens, which can spread to humans and be a cause for concern. These diseases include foot and mouth, leptospirosis, salmonellosis, swine dysentery, toxoplasmosis, and pasteurellosis. All of these are then passed easily onto your livestock and your staff, resulting in lasting health conditions and even death. Diseased livestock is also unfit for human consumption, so you cannot sell your animals.
- Buildings are often left damaged as rodents have a need to grind down their front teeth by chewing on solid materials like wood and aluminium. They will chew through your shed and barn walls just to access the copious amounts of food waiting inside for them and, once inside, nibble on whatever they can get their hands on. Bird droppings can also result in structural damage to your buildings, as they are highly acidic.
- Storage areas are usually in abundance on agricultural land, and they make the perfect location for many pests to make their nests. With food and water available and plenty of shelters, they provide the three essential things that pests need to survive. Unfortunately, when rodents and birds build their nests, they create a huge amount of mess that can lead to further issues down the line.
- Electrical wires are often chewed through by rodents, meaning your expensive farming machinery and vehicles are at serious risk. Chewed cabling also creates a severe fire hazard on your property. Extensive damage to your electrics and your machinery will negatively affect your tight schedules and require costly repairs.
- Pest infestations on your agricultural property can also have a huge impact on the reputation of your business. Pests are associated with dirty, unhygienic locations and a lack of care, which can affect your business’s reputation and compliance with relevant legislation.
Overall, it’s clear to see that pests create numerous problems for farmers. Unfortunately, all of these problems will drastically affect your profits and, therefore, your future.
Protect your company’s reputation, staff, livestock, crops, and overall future with the help of our agricultural pest control services. Whatever your requirements, we will tailor our services to fit your agriculture business, keeping you safe from the dangers of pests now and for years to come. Contact us today to book your free survey for agricultural pest control.
