Guidelines On Good Practice For Ground Application Of Pesticides

These guidelines have been prepared to offer practical help and guidance to all those involved in using pesticides for food and fibre production as well as in public health programmes. The guidelines in this document cover the application of pesticides using any ground-based field crop sprayers, including operator-carried and tree and bush crop sprayers.

These guidelines have been prepared to offer practical help and guidance to all those involved in using pesticides for food and fibre production as well as in Public Health programmes. The guidelines in this document cover the application of pesticides using aircraft, including the activities on the ground in support of the aerial application .

The "International Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides" is the worldwide guidance document on pesticide management for all public and private entities engaged in, or associated with, the distribution and use of pesticides. The Code is designed to provide standards of conduct and to serve as a point of reference in relation to sound pesticide management practices, in particular for government authorities and the pesticide industry. This publication contains the revised (2002) version of the Code.

These guidelines are intended to provide guidance on pesticide risk reduction through reduced exposure by effective personal protection with special attention to the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). First, they provide technical information on personal protection and on the selection and use of PPE. Second, in line with the FAO/WHO International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management, they address policy issues and recommend measures to improve personal protection and specifically the use and availability of adequate quality and affordable PPE. They are primarily aimed at government authorities in charge of pesticide management and risk reduction, but are also considered useful to public and private sectors such as pesticide industry, non-governmental organisations (NGO) and other relevant entities. More specifically, these guidelines are targeted at stakeholders in low and middle income countries (LMICs) where it is acknowledged that there is limited legislation, compliance and enforcement, and PPE availability. These Guidelines were developed by the FAO/WHO Joint Meeting on Pesticide Management (JMPM) to provide guidance on provisions in the Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management that are related to personal protection of pesticide users. They are meant to enhance current national legislation and regulations on personal protection and personal protective equipment (PPE) or where there is none, to provide guidance. They reflect the FAO/WHO joint approach on pesticide management, thus addressing personal protection of both agricultural and public health operators/applicators, the latter being engaged in using insecticides for vector control.

The FAO minimum requirements in this publication are based on existing international, European and national standards and other published references. The guidelines provide a practical aid to assist purchasing and other agencies to avoid buying or approving sprayers with quality and design limitations, which could compromise operator and environmental safety. Member countries should adopt them immediately, to begin to eliminate substandard and unsafe sprayers from national markets and ultimately from the international scene.

This second edition of the compendium provides brief description of all the technical guidance documents, manuals, toolkits, databases and other resources for pesticide management developed by FAO and WHO. These resources support the standards outlined in the International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management by providing detailed information and guidance on how to manage pesticides at the different stages of their life cycle, i.e. from production to disposal of waste. The resources are principally intended for use by governments in low- and middle-income countries but they may also be useful to other stakeholders. The resources cover both agricultural and public health uses of pesticides. The documents listed in this compendium have been prepared, reviewed and adopted by FAO and WHO expert groups including, since 2007, the FAO/ WHO Joint Meeting on Pesticide Management (JMPM). The compendium will be updated regularly in the future. Older documents included in the compendium are still considered valid as the issues they address have not changed.

This second edition of the compendium provides a brief description of all the technical guidance documents, manuals, toolkits, databases and other resources for pesticide management developed by FAO and WHO. These resources support the standards outlined in the International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management by providing detailed information and guidance on how to manage pesticides at the different stages of their life cycle, i.e. from production to disposal of waste. The resources are principally intended for use by governments in low- and middle-income countries but they may also be useful to other stakeholders. The resources cover both agricultural and public health uses of pesticides. The documents listed in this compendium have been prepared, reviewed and adopted by FAO and WHO expert groups including, since 2007, the FAO/ WHO Joint Meeting on Pesticide Management (JMPM). The compendium will be updated regularly in the future. Older documents included in the compendium are still considered valid as the issues they address have not changed.

Within the context of the implementation of the International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management, this document is intended to provide specific guidance for countries wishing to establish or strengthen their programmes for licensing of activities connected to the pesticide life-cycle, including import, storage, distribution, sale and specific uses, and to provide guidance on options to set up and improve national licensing schemes. This guidance is designed primarily for use by government authorities in charge of pesticide management, in particular pesticide regulations, compliance, enforcement and risk reduction, as well as may also be useful in sectors such as the pesticide industry, nongovernmental organizations and other relevant entities in low-and middle-income countries in which there is limited legislation, compliance and enforcement, and resources for pesticide management.