This is a subscriber-only article
More than 5,000 sprayers have been tested nationwide, since new rules were introduced last November by the Department of Agriculture.
Since 26 November 2016, all blast and orchard sprayers and all sprayers with a boom greater than 3m in width (older than five years), intended for immediate use, must be tested and in receipt of a certification label from a Department-registered equipment inspector.
Some 5,127 labels have been issued for tested and approved sprayers as of Friday, 7 April.
Sprayers in this category which have not been tested must not be used until they are deemed fit for purpose by a Department-registered equipment inspector. For a list of registered inspectors in your county, click here.
It is estimated that there are up to 20,000 sprayers in the country. However, because newer sprayers (less than five years old) are not required to be inspected, a proportion of sprayers will not require immediate testing. Other sprayers may be decommissioned.
Professional users
Meanwhile, some 26,428 people have been approved as registered professional users of chemical sprays so far, the Department of Agriculture has confirmed.
Some 26,428 people are now professional users, the only people who can apply pesticides authorised for professional use under rules put in place in November 2015.
SHARING OPTIONS: