Organic Pest Management: A Natural Extension of IPM

Although the standards of USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP) do not prohibit all use of pesticides, such application is to be a treatment of last resort, with prevention, sanitation, exclusion, and physical/mechanical eradication taking precedence. This is very similar, in fact, to the steps of an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program, which can provide the foundation for organic pest management.

In fact, while the NOP does not specifically mention IPM, Section 205.271, Facility Pest Management Practice Standard, does state: “an organic facility must use management practices to prevent pests, including but not limited to: (1) Removal of pest habitat, food sources, and breeding areas; (2) Prevention of access to handling facilities; and (2) Management of environmental factors.”

Additionally, the USDA organic standard states that pests may be controlled through mechanical or physical controls, and lures or repellents using substances on the National List of Approved Substances. If none of these are effective on controlling or preventing pests, then a substance from the National List may be applied. If even that does not provide control, then a synthetic substance not on the National List may be applied, so long as substance and application are approved by the certifying agent and the substance does not contact the organically produced products or ingredients, and the operation’s organic handling plan reflects the use, method, and measures taken to prevent contact.

It is interesting how closely these steps parallel those of IPM. Both are to begin with preventive measures along with mechanical and physical controls, moving only to chemical controls once those are in place. At that point, the two standards diverge – to a point. 

As explained in a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) document on IPM principles, “IPM takes advantage of all appropriate pest management options including, but not limited to, the judicious use of pesticides. In contrast, organic food production applies many of the same concepts as IPM but limits the use of pesticides to those that are produced from natural sources, as opposed to synthetic chemicals.”

That said, an organic pest management program can be a natural extension of IPM. Following is an example of a four-step protocol that integrates IPM into an organic protocol.

1. Pest Prevention. Preventing pests requires a partnership between the organic facility and pest management professional, with the PMP making recommendations based on a property inspection of environmental factors that should be corrected to minimize pest activity. This could include such widely diverse areas as sanitation, air flow, structural deficiencies, exterior foliage and lighting, and stock rotation.
         It will then be the role of the facility to make the needed corrections, and to maintain a high level of exterior and interior sanitation to prevent pest attraction and harborage. (See What to Expect from Your Pest Management Professional and Best Practices: What Your PMP Needs from You for further detail of the roles of the pest management professional and the food processing facility for an effective IPM partnership.)
2. Mechanical or Physical Pest Management. If pests have gotten into the food facility, they will need to be physically removed. Many insects, and their debris (webbing, frass, droppings, etc.) can simply be vacuumed up with appropriate equipment. But, other insects and larger pests, such as rodents or birds, will require the use of mechanical traps that have no chemical substances. These may include snap traps, wind-up traps, glueboards, insect light traps, or even live traps. Additionally, non-synthetic lures or repellants from the National List, such as pheromone lures, may be used to enhance the effectiveness of insect traps.
         Another option for non-chemical pest management is a heat or cold treatment which manipulates the temperature of an isolated area sufficient to kill a pest infestation.
3. Application of Approved Materials. As stated previously, it is only if the practices of steps one and two are insufficient to control pests effectively that chemical control can be considered. At this point, limited application of a pesticide from the National List of Approved Substances can be made.
4. Application of Materials Not on the National List. Should none of the first three steps serve to effectively control a pest infestation, a substance not on the National List may be applied in the infested area as long as: the substance and method are outlined and approved in advance and no organic product comes in contact in any way with the materials used. Additionally, all organic products must be removed from the area to be treated area and not returned until no residue remains.

Thus, while the pest management standards of the National Organic Program are more extensive that those use in a standard IPM program, the prevention, sanitation, and exclusion activities of IPM provide a strong foundation for the pest management requirements of an organic program.