Minister of State with special responsibility for farm safety Michael Healy-Rae has called on farmers to ensure that plant protection products are used safely in accordance with the product label.
He was speaking directly to professional pesticide users at Crops and Technology, held by Teagasc at its Crops Research and Innovation Centre at Oak Park, Carlow, in partnership with the Irish Farmers Journal.
The efficient use of pesticides was demonstrated at the open day, including GPS-controlled spraying, automatic nozzle-switching technology, sensor-controlled boom height control to reduce drift and sensor-controlled ‘patch’ spraying technology to identify crop areas for attention.
Minister Healy-Rae said: “Wear the appropriate personal protection equipment (PPE) when working with pesticides and read the label to avoid risk to yourself and anyone working with these chemicals.”
Demonstrations
In addition, Teagasc health and safety specialist Francis Bligh called on farmers to give particular attention to the use of PPE.
A recent UCD study on Irish farmers on compliance with pesticide application rules found that while there was good overall compliance, PPE usage received the lowest score (65.5%) among a range of compliance categories.
Information on the safe storage, handling and use of farm chemicals, including pesticides, along with risk-prevention strategies is available in the Health and Safety Authority’s Farm Safety Code of Practice and Risk Assessment document.
“Those who use professional plant protection products must be registered with the Department of Agriculture as a professional user. This involves completion of the required training,” added Blighe.
“Sprayer, or pesticide applicator, should be tested and in good working order and properly calibrated. Using suitable personal protective equipment, safe rinsing of chemical containers and disposal of sprayer washings are also prerequisites for safe use of pesticides.”
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Minister of State with special responsibility for farm safety Michael Healy-Rae has called on farmers to ensure that plant protection products are used safely in accordance with the product label.
He was speaking directly to professional pesticide users at Crops and Technology, held by Teagasc at its Crops Research and Innovation Centre at Oak Park, Carlow, in partnership with the Irish Farmers Journal.
The efficient use of pesticides was demonstrated at the open day, including GPS-controlled spraying, automatic nozzle-switching technology, sensor-controlled boom height control to reduce drift and sensor-controlled ‘patch’ spraying technology to identify crop areas for attention.
Minister Healy-Rae said: “Wear the appropriate personal protection equipment (PPE) when working with pesticides and read the label to avoid risk to yourself and anyone working with these chemicals.”
Demonstrations
In addition, Teagasc health and safety specialist Francis Bligh called on farmers to give particular attention to the use of PPE.
A recent UCD study on Irish farmers on compliance with pesticide application rules found that while there was good overall compliance, PPE usage received the lowest score (65.5%) among a range of compliance categories.
Information on the safe storage, handling and use of farm chemicals, including pesticides, along with risk-prevention strategies is available in the Health and Safety Authority’s Farm Safety Code of Practice and Risk Assessment document.
“Those who use professional plant protection products must be registered with the Department of Agriculture as a professional user. This involves completion of the required training,” added Blighe.
“Sprayer, or pesticide applicator, should be tested and in good working order and properly calibrated. Using suitable personal protective equipment, safe rinsing of chemical containers and disposal of sprayer washings are also prerequisites for safe use of pesticides.”
Read more
Spraying technology for every farmer
Are you up to speed with sprayer testing?
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