Simon Barnaby, the technical manager for The Scotts Company reports an increase in the number of enquiries received relating to the potential use of pesticides not approved for use on turf areas. Last week Scotts took the opportunity of BTME in Harrogate to bring the facts about this matter to the attention of their customers and to warn them of the possible consequences
Pesticide manufacture, storage, supply and application are regulated by law. There are a number of Acts of Parliament and Regulations that cover these points. These include: Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH), Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 (FEPA) and Control of Pesticide Regulations 1986 (COPR).
The legislation requires that no product may be used unless it has government approval on the grounds of safety and efficacy. Everyone must comply with conditions of approval. Only chemicals with a recommendation on the label for use on Managed Amenity Turf can be legally advertised, supplied, stored and applied to Managed Amenity Turf situations. It is illegal to use any other chemical that does not have approval.
Why are there different products for different situations?
Chemicals used on Managed Amenity Turf situations are specifically formulated and designed for use on turf. Each product has to undergo extensive research on turf in order to ascertain product efficacy: e.g. does it work? Stringent research is also carried out to ascertain human, animal and environmental safety. This work can take a number of years to complete. Once this criteria is met PSD (Pesticide Safety Directorate) will register the chemical with a specific Approval e.g. for use on Managed Amenity Turf.
What if a non-approved chemical is used?
The user, the club or site manager, supplier and advisor are all liable and may suffer any or all of the following:
- Heavy fines. Unlimited amount (a recent misuse case resulted in a £220,000 fine plus costs)
- Imprisonment. Up to 2 years in prison for each case
- Insurance void. All cover void
- Turf damage. Products not formulated for turf use may cause severe damage
- No efficacy. Products not designed for use on turf may not work or could increase the risk of fungi resistance
- Environmental damage. Products not used for the specific purpose for which they were designed or labelled may harm the environment
- Operator exposure. Non approved products may have incorrect advice
Scotts www.scottsuk.co.uk