The Food Processing Industry Needs Bird Control

Allowing pest birds to loiter around a food processing plant creates severe operational, financial, and regulatory risks. Beyond causing extensive physical damage to machinery and facilities through corrosive feces and nesting materials, pest birds directly contaminate food products. Pigeons, house sparrows, and starlings are common intruders in industrial and commercial facilities because these sites offer ideal overhead roosting shelters coupled with readily accessible food sources.

Bird droppings are highly acidic and capable of ruining building structures, processing equipment, and stored goods. Furthermore, bird waste harbors over 60 known transmissible diseases. Health inspectors routinely shut down food processing plants where bird feces, feathers, and nesting debris contaminate production areas. Implementing professional bird control products provides a reliable, proactive defense before contamination occurs.

Plant managers must begin by surveying the facility for signs of active bird infestation. Identifying whether birds are roosting, nesting, feeding, or utilizing open water and shelter enables the creation of an effective management plan. Once problem areas are mapped, targeted bird control products can be installed in the facility's most vulnerable zones:

Roofs, Parapet Walls, and Ledges

To stop birds from roosting on parapet walls, roof edges, and flat ledges, bird spikes or low-profile electric track systems offer excellent physical exclusion. Stainless steel spikes create an irregular surface that makes landing impossible, while electric track systems deliver a mild, harmless deterrent shock. Both solutions protect structural integrity while remaining completely safe and humane for birds and installation technicians alike.

Loading Docks and Overhangs

Loading docks and exterior overhangs are prime hotspots for pest birds seeking shelter. Heavy-duty bird netting is the ideal deterrent for these semi-enclosed zones. Hanging netting beneath dock superstructures seals out I-beams, rafters, and eaves, permanently blocking birds from roosting overhead.

Interior Facility Protection

Managing birds that have moved inside a facility—especially where food is processed or stored—presents a greater challenge, but specialized interior deterrents can drive them out. Programmable, automated fogging units dispense a non-toxic liquid mist containing methyl anthranilate (a food-grade grape extract). This safe deterrent irritates a bird's trigeminal nerve and nasal receptors, forcing them to leave the area without harming livestock or personnel. Fogging systems are widely used in food processing plants, warehouses, distribution centers, and manufacturing facilities.

Food processing plants must maintain strict vigilance to keep pest birds away. Product contamination leads to immediate regulatory shutdowns and catastrophic financial losses, making proactive bird control methods an essential investment.

Bird B Gone is the world's largest manufacturer and distributor of commercial and industrial bird control products, offering humane, professional-grade exclusion systems. For facility evaluations, custom engineering, or product guidance, contact Bird B Gone at 800-392-6915.