Sir, - It is often said that we Irish are a dirty race of people. This is evident from the way we treat the environment and from our laid-back approach to public hygiene.
Hardly a week goes by without some case reported of a breach of the hygiene regulations in food manufacturing plants, shops selling food, cafes, chip shops, restaurants and hotels. Ignorance of the basic requirements is not good enough as we receive repeated warnings from the Department of Health and other Government agencies on how to prevent salmonella and other food poisoning maladies. Wash your hands after using the toilet, keep fresh and cooked meats well apart and watch out for signs of insect and rodent infiltration.
To keep hairy, four-legged and other unwelcome creepy crawlies at bay requires constant monitoring by a reputable pest control company. On the Continent, it is not unusual to see the name of an internationally known pest control company displayed on the door or window of a premises where food is sold, indicating that it is responsible for monitoring infestation. This is considered a plus by the outlet owners and is reassuring for customers. However I have yet to see the same positive approach shown to this problem in Ireland.
I have it on good authority that it is not unknown for those working in the area of pest control to be asked not to park their service vans outside the front of premises because of the risk of being seen by people passing. The owners fear that their premises will get the thumbs down from the public.
Let's get real here. Insects and rodents are a fact of life. To pretend or imagine otherwise is fooling no one. To acknowledge the fact and be brave enough to display a pest control company logo on the front of a premises is a big step to take for the management. But who will be first? The creepy crawlies have not gone away, you know! - Yours, etc.
Brendan M. Redmond, Hazelbrook Road, Terenure, Dublin 6w.