Agricultural Sprayer Standards and Prospects for Development of Standards for other Farm Machinery*

In most developing countries the process of delivering pesticides to the target (i.e. application of pesticides) is not well understood nor is it generally well managed. A number of factors contribute to this situation, among them are a lack of adequate policies and legislation, lack of education resulting in poor knowledge, lack of research and capital availability, many and varied pest problems, and socio-economic problems. This results in an inadequate management of pests on one side, and an overuse of pesticides leading to serious environmental and health problems and high pest control costs on the other. Following European experience, legislation on pesticide application appears to be an area of priority. The introduction and enforcement of equipment safety standards is only one component but this has to be complemented with others, such as formal education and training as well as periodic inspections of sprayers to ensure safe working conditions. The requirement for safety standards for other agricultural machines becomes important as the level of mechanization rises. Suitable basic standards and test procedures are mostly available at an international level and need not be reinvented at national level. However, appropriate national legislation is required to enforce these international safety standards.