All PPP spraying equipment must be inspected

To ensure that plant protection product (PPP) spraying equipment operates accurately and efficiently, testing of PPP spraying equipment is required in EU Member States.

Regulatory documents stipulate that in Latvia, by the end of 2016, all PPP spraying equipment (excluding hand-held equipment and backpack sprayers) must have been inspected at least once, and the inspection of this equipment must be ensured by its owner or possessor.

Despite the fact that in 2016 and 2017, experts from the State Plant Protection Service (SPPS) organized seminars, provided consultations and explanations in all regions of Latvia, where they informed farmers about the need for inspections and the practical procedure for conducting them, currently a total of 1,000 equipment has been inspected in Latvia, which is 10 percent of all equipment in the country. Since it is currently the active season for inspections of agricultural equipment, the number of inspected equipment is growing every day.

Some farmers choose to purchase new equipment, which must be inspected for the first time after 5 years from the date of purchase. Last year, when monitoring the use of pesticides, the Agricultural Agricultural and Rural Development Agency found that new equipment was purchased on one fifth of farms.

The Ministry of Agriculture reminds that, starting in 2018, the use of untested equipment by the Agricultural Agricultural Product Safety Authority (VAAD) will result in an administrative fine being imposed on its owner. Violation of the requirements for the use of AAL may result in a fine of up to 350 euros for individuals and up to 700 euros for legal entities.

Used equipment must be inspected once every three years, while new equipment must be inspected for the first time five years after its purchase.

Equipment inspections are carried out by accredited institutions that have received a certificate issued by VAAD for performing inspections. If the equipment complies with the requirements of regulatory enactments, the inspector marks it with a sticker. The list of certified equipment inspectors and the procedure for equipment inspections, as well as recommendations for self-inspection of equipment before starting spraying, are available On the VAAD website.

Source: Ministry of Agriculture