Advantage Good Agricultural
Practices Example
Pesticide use on a ready-to-eat vegetable operation (Good Agricultural
Practice 8.2)
Consider this scenario:
- Family run vegetable growing operation
- Employs migrant seasonal workers
- Farm gate sales, farmers markets and to auction
- Only one person on the farm is trained in pesticide application
and holds a valid Grower Pesticide Safety Course certificate
Common Food Safety Risks for this scenario:
If improperly used, pesticides may contaminate the environment
or leave potentially harmful residues on vegetables.
Chemical Hazards:
Used properly, pesticides are safe. Improper use can lead to unacceptable
residues and/or a potential chemical hazard. If pesticides are applied
incorrectly to a crop, unacceptable residues may occur. The Pre-Harvest
Interval (PHI) for a pesticide needs to be adhered to in order to
avoid exceeding residue limits. Pesticides should only be applied
under certain weather conditions to avoid leaching or drifting of
the pesticide into the ground or other crops. Spills need to be
dealt with by an appropriate method so as to not contaminate the
environment or produce. This would include inadvertently spilling
or wiping of pesticide on clothing which could then be transferred
to fresh produce while handling.
How Good Agricultural Practices can help:
Keeping the identified risks in mind, the following questions would
assist this grower in establishing good pesticide use for his vegetable
operation.
If you encounter times when you need to apply pesticides
but the one certified individual on your farm is unavailable, remember
that a chemical risk can occur if pesticides are handled or applied
incorrectly.
You should:
- Ensure that anyone applying a pesticide has a Growers Pesticide
Safety Course certificate or licence
- Consider using a licensed custom applicator or having someone
else trained as an assistant who can work under your supervision
If you apply pesticides to crops adjacent to your
neighbours field there is a chemical risk associated with improper
application.
You should:
- Ensure that you apply only in proper weather conditions to avoid
drifting of pesticides which can result in the under application
on your field and potentially unwanted application on your neighbours
- Develop a written practice that clearly states what proper weather
conditions are
If you apply pesticides to crops close to harvest
time remember that a chemical risk is associated with residue levels
that exceed the maximum limit if the pre-harvest interval is not
followed.
You should:
- Develop a written practice which states the PHI for all the
pesticides in use on your operation.
- The practice should also include a system to keep track of when
a pesticide has been applied and when the crop can be harvested
- If crops are harvested before the PHI time, don't let any persons
or animals eat the produce until an agricultural specialist has
been consulted
If you would like to move towards using less pesticides
in your operation due to the chemical risk of using pesticides,
You should:
- Consider starting an Integrated Pest Management program
