Reinforcing the pest management sector in Europe and beyond
Founded in 1974, the Confederation of European Pest Management Associations (CEPA) represents 27 national pest management associations across 23 European countries, 20 of which are in the EU. CEPA is made of over 10000 SMEs in a very fragmented sector that serves local communities and catering, hospitals, retail services and households to protect and assure the well-being of EU citizens.
Controlling pests is a very significant task in Europe and beyond. When people hear «pest management» or «pest control», they are associating it with the eradication of ants, spiders, or fleas. In fact, pest management is much more. It is directly involved with the safety of our health and our foods. Which is why it is vital to have a system of professional control for pests for the safety of the overall public.
In CEPA we are made up fundamentally of a network of European SMEs. Healthy Cities and Sustainability form the EU regulatory framework where we operate. As only professionals should be allowed to operate in this sector in Europe, the CEPA standard underpins this professionalism.
Technology is a significant aid to all who deliver professional services, and the pest management sector does not make an exception. In the current context where digitalisation and new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence threaten to overtake some jobs, CEPA considers that a professional pest manager cannot be replaced. On the one hand, the human factor in our sector is pivotal to assess and undertake a proactive sustainable pest control system. On the other hand, our people are focused on building and maintaining strong relationships with clients and colleagues, and accept that professionalism is reliant on the ability to connect with others, the so-called «human touch».
To ensure the continuity of the sector, keep contributing to the well-being of our citizens and build friendly relations with our clients, CEPA pursues its long-term goal. We are on track to turn the CEPA standard into soft law via a Memorandum of Understanding and, thus, recognise our sector as an EU sectoral profession.
Henry Mott
CEPA President