 | | NPMA President Phil Augustine thanked FMC Corp. for their longtime continuous sponsorship of Legislative Days. |
| | | NPMA Legislative Day has a long tradition of having a special program for the children of attendees. Here, Bob Kunst's grandson takes the microphone. |
|  | | G. Baumann |
|  | | B.Rosenberg |
|  | | G. Harrington |
|  | | T. Clarke | |
|  | | S. Steckel |
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — More than 600 people are making their voices heard on Capitol Hill this week as the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) and the American Mosquito Control Association (AMCA) hold joint Legislative Days sessions that include regulatory updates, visits with legislators and a full slate of top-name political speakers. On Monday morning, NPMA's Commercial Division briefed attendees on the committee's recent efforts to partner with leading third-party food plant auditors to develop a set of standards for pest management in food plants. "The most frequently requested food protection item is help in dealing with inconsistent standards by third-party auditors," says Commercial Division Chair Don McCarthy. "This is a real opportunity for PMPs to make a difference." The division is working with the American Institute of Baking (AIB), Cook and Thurber, Silliker Labs and ASI to form a set of standards for consistent, high quality pest management in food plants. "This is not a bureaucratic committee," says Greg Baumann, NPMA technical director. "It's a roll-up-your-sleeves and get things done committee." The group has agreed on a set of topics that will be part of the standards NPMA will develop over the next few months. NPMA has charge over developing the standards, the group at large will comment, and the final set will be adopted by all. Topics that will become standards include: - Personnel -- Technicians will have to show standardized identification, adhere to uniform and personnel standards and comply with criminal background checks per the U.S. Food Security Act.
- Training -- Technicians working in food plants will comply with requirements beyond state minimum. Specialized training is part of the proposal.
- Pest Management Plan -- Technicians will adopt specific rodent control, crawling insect and flying insect plans for each facility. Standards will also cover use of pheromones as monitors, bird and wildlife control, weed control, sanitation monitoring and mechanical exclusion.
The standards also will allow PMPs to conduct on-site annual training for food facilities, establish guidelines for contracts, service protocols and record keeping. Right now, the committee plans to begin drafting regulations in April, and the NPMA plans a compliance course for this summer, featuring AIB speakers. Consumer products concerns
Other NPMA committees met Monday morning to brief attendees on activities. George Saxton, the compliance officer in the Office of Indiana State Chemist, told a full room of PMPs that at least one manufacturer is developing a termite product it plans to take directly to consumers. Saxton, speaking with other regulators on a panel called "WDO Division Program: Regulatory Termite Roundtable, NPMA-33 Guidelines and Pricing Termite Treatments," said he had concerns about what the manufacturer's plans meant for the industry.
"The goal is to have the homeowners do what I call 'Nike treatments' — run around the house and drench the outside in termiticide," Saxton said as the audience chuckled at his vivid description. "If this trend continues, homeowners may wake up one day and decide they don't need [PMPs] anymore." A do-it-yourself treatment also worries Saxton because of the difficulty of enforcing the appropriate regulations under the circumstances. "It could open up new regulatory fronts that could become nightmares quickly," he said. | 
