About Mole Trap Approval

APMC's motive in investing in a Mole Trap Approval Scheme is to identify mole traps that the Association can promote confidently as being of genuine quality and value to occupational mole catchers.

The Scheme is designed to deliver, where possible, positive outcomes to the benefit of APMC's member mole catchers and mole catching generally.

APMC only accepts for Assessment mole (kill) traps that represent a singularly branded proprietary product of consistent quality and traceable manufacture, rather than approving a general design or 'style' of mole trap.
 

The Mole Trap Assessment Process

Assessors involve themselves voluntarily, and are not necessarily members of APMC.

Where a mole trap is submitted to APMC for evaluation and practical Assessment, the success or failure of the product to achieve APMC Approval is dependant entirely on feedback received from the Assessors.

APMC as an entity (i.e. persons involved in the administration or management of APMC) involves itself only as administrator of the Assessment processes. However within that capacity APMC might determine some aspects of the structure of the Assessment process around any particular product, and might make Executive decisions around the Assessment process, for example:

  • The acceptability of a product for Assessment.
  • The selection and number of individual Assessors to be involved.
  • The duration and/or scope of the Assessment process, and which might include decision to extend the duration and/or breadth of the Assessment process for a specific product.
  • Requirement for inclusion within the Assessment process of a product of, and decision around the validity and acceptability of, bench tested data.

Assessment is based on the product being evaluated by at minimum two occupational mole catchers, although often it might be decided necessary to involve a greater number of Assessors. In circumstances where the product might be of a generally unfamiliar or innovative design or construction, APMC might include bench test data in the Assessment process.

The inclusion in the Assessment process of bench testing might involve instrument-measured or specialist analysis of the material construction of the product, and the potential capacity of the product to deliver predictably an impact force capable of delivering appropriately a fatal injury to a caught mole.