We offer a range of accredited training courses and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) modules.

Rodents in Irish Agriculture

Rodents, particularly the Norway rat and domestic mouse are prominent pest species in Irish agriculture. They present several threats including damage to infrastructure, transmission of zoonoses, consumption/contamination of products and feedstuffs and threaten quality assured status. This course covers the behaviour and effects of these rodents in agricultural settings and outlines effective control measures. Particular focus is given to rodents and control measures within popular quality assurance schemes, cross compliance requirements and agri-environmental/workplace legislation. This course is suitable for pest control technicians and consultants, farm staff and agri-environmental professionals.

Improved Report Writing

Pest control operatives are required to provide clients with documentation in relation to control regimes. These may include initial reports/assessments, reports at intervals throughout the control regime, incident/action reports and final reports at the conclusion of service. The structure, style and contents of these reports must meet standards of quality. This course will provide operatives/technicians with skills required to prepare thorough and concise assessments and reports.

Risk Assessment Skills

Pest control technicians frequently operate in environments and using tools which may present hazards to themselves, their clients, the public and non-target species. Critical to safe conduct is thorough identification of potential hazards and implementation of strategies for risk mitigation. Many hazards may not be immediately obvious to technicians who are inexperienced, unfamiliar with the environment or in which the environment is complex or changing. Risk assessment is both a legal and best practice requirement and a safeguard for both the technician and client. This course gives an overview of potential hazards which may be encountered in environments commonly encountered by pest technicians, the appropriate approach to these hazards and instruction regarding the production of risk assessment documents.

Scientific Literature for Pest Control

The publication of scientific literature on the control of vertebrate/invertebrate pests and unwanted plant species increases annually. This research can furnish the pest control operative with information which will improve the efficiency, safety and success of control operations, particularly with respect to invasive species and emerging technologies and biocides with which pest operatives may not be experienced to date. This course provides simple protocols for assessing the validity and relevance of studies, extracting useful information and implementing those findings. This course focuses on practical implications and aspects of scientific literature. A higher level course is also available which provides more detailed modules including statistical analysis, different types of literature and experimental design. It is not necessary to complete this course as a precursor.

Rodenticide Record Keeping

In accordance with the recommendations of the Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use (CRRU) and requirements of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, pest control technicians must account for rodenticide use in all control operations from January 2018. This course describes simple protocols and practical tools for monitoring and recording rodenticide use.

Our range of courses is expanding.
For information about forthcoming training events or to book a course please contact us.
Phone:  085 2556955
E-mail:  vapsagri@gmail.com