Current Threats Of Rodents and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for Stored Grain and Malting Barley

Abstract

Synanthropic rodents belong to the worldwide dominant vertebrate pests occurring in agricultural and food industry environment. Rodents have enormous potential to cause multiple damages to human resources by feeding on crops and stored commodities and by their faecal and urine contamination. The latter is associated with a risk of transmission of pathogens into food and feed chain. In spite of its health and hygienic signifi cance the risk of faecal contamination of stored grain is often under-rated by store-keepers and farmers due to insuffi cient published summary information. Therefore in this overview, we summarised the relevant key-literature resources dealing with hazards associated with contamination of grain stores and food processing plants by rodents.