PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Urban pest control is still carried out with biocides, which various European regulations classify as hazardous substances. The effects of these chemicals, both direct and indirect, are various, including poisoning of wild animals and pets, persistent contamination of soils, rivers, lakes and sea, bioaccumulation, toxicity to humans, and increased resistance of the target organisms. In parallel, in recent years, the number of rats and mosquitoes has increased in Europe due to many concurrent factors which, in turn, brought an increase in the use of these hazardous substances and in their release into the environment. In 2015, ISPRA (the Italian institute for environmental protection) estimated that 175 000 tons/year of pesticides are released into the environment in Italy, with a mere 0.1% actually reaching its target. In general, municipal procurement systems do not allow effective coordination of and control on private pest management contractors. In Fiumicino, pest-related problems forced the municipality to incur huge expenses with mediocre results and remarkable occasional infestations, and with the poisoning of 300 pets and wild animals. Non-chemical, and more environmentally-friendly alternatives to biocidal substances used to control both rodents and mosquitoes are already available on the market (e.g. mechanical traps), but, also due to lack of information and criteria, their use by pest management companies has been rather limited so far.
OBJECTIVES
LIFE BIOREPEMs objective is to implement, test and validate an innovative and ecological management model for pest control in two Italian municipalities, Fiumicino (Lazio) and Francavilla a Mare (Abruzzo), with the ultimate aim of reducing the amounts of biocides used and increasing the effectiveness of pest control.
Specific project objectives are to:
Prove the efficacy of a new generation of multi-catch mosquito and rodent traps as alternatives to biocidal products over a network of 86 devices in Fiumicino and 50 in Francavilla;Set-up an ad hoc web application to support the implementation of updated control procedures and the management of the traps, and help monitor the interventions of contractors on behalf of the municipality; Implement new municipal monitoring and planning procedures to improve the efficacy of pest control, and therefore further reduce the need for biocides, and enforce a protocol for the gathering of data useful for pest management purposes;Develop Green Public Procurement (GPP) criteria and new tendering procedures for municipal pest control services;Develop and approve two Municipal Plans for pest control services;Inform and raise the awareness of pest control operators, municipalities, agricultural cooperatives, biocide sellers, schools and residents about the correct use of biocides, the risks involved in their use, and the alternatives available; and Implement a training course for managers and workers of the disinfestation sector to transfer the innovation to the private sector. The project contributes to the implementation of the EU Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR) (528/2012), the Directive on the sustainable use of pesticides (2009/128/EC) and the REACH and CLP Regulations. More specifically, the new management model is in line with the recommendations of the Commissions report on the sustainable use of biocides (COM(2016) 151), which solicits the reduction or replacement of hazardous substances.
RESULTS
Expected results:
Reduction of persistent/bioaccumulative dangerous substances used by contracting companies on behalf of partner municipalities in pest control services, including a 50% reduction (i.e. 15 g/year) of Brodifacoum/Difenacoum used by the project end and a 60% reduction (i.e. 18 g/year) 3 years after the project, and a 30% reduction (i.e. 180 litre/year) of pyrethroids used by the project end and a 35% reduction (i.e. 315 litre/year) 3 years after the project;Reduction of persistent/bioaccumulative dangerous substances used in the private sector thanks to information and dissemination activities, including a 10% reduction (i.e. 30 g/year) of Brodifacoum/Difenacoum by the project end and a 20% reduction (i.e. 40 g/year) 3 years after the project;Reduction of poisoned domestic animals in Fiumicino: 20% (i.e. 60) fewer domestic animals dead in Fiumicino because of biocides poisoning by the project end, rising to 30% (i.e. 90) 3 years after the project;66% ofurban territory positively affected by the ecological pest management: 5 100 ha;Reduction of secondary poisoning of wild species (e.g. fox, owl, barn owl) reduced by 10% (i.e. 10) for the 100 retrieved annually in the Fiumicino area by citizens and vet clinics;Reduction of accidental poisoning of pets (dogs, cats) by 20% (i.e. 60) for the 300 suspected poisonings reported every year in Fiumicino;Reduction of costs for pest control contracts involved municipalities: 25 000 reduction in Fiumicino and 5 000 in Francavilla after the projects end;Market increase in two more municipalities will begin during the project, a gradual transition towards ecological pest management, with the creation of 3 new jobs in the local pest control sector;Awareness raised among at least 20 000 citizens, 660 municipalities, 3 000 agricultural cooperatives, 54 school directors, 25 retailers; andBehavioural change of 1 200 citizens, and 13 pest control companies.
