DPI Chemical Standards Survey - Horticulturalists Have Your Say


Horticulturalists
Help us help you with new spraying rules

Click Here to Take The Survey
The survey is available online until 30 June 2010  

DPI Chemical Survey

To ensure horticulturalists are not unnecessarily restricted by upcoming changes to chemical product labels, DPI Chemical Standards are offering a helping hand by conducting a five minute online survey so your voice can be heard.

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) have recently developed a framework for assessing Operating Principles in Relation to Spray Drift Risk ( www.apvma.gov.au/spraydrift).

DPI supports this framework, which will involve a review of all agricultural chemicals and result in the establishment of mandatory downwind no spray buffer zones away from identified sensitive areas.

These buffer zones will be based on the amount of chemical applied per hectare, and will vary depending on the water rate used to apply products with volumetric application rates (ie 100 mL/100 L).

The flexibility provided to horticulturalists to use a water rate that suits their enterprise means that there is a lack of specific information about typical water rates used in horticulture. As a result new buffer zones may be:

• Assessed on "worst case scenario" water rates (which are often significantly higher than typical rates used in horticulture).
• Established at greater distances than required when using typical water rates, making them more difficult to manage.

Your responses will be anonymous and used to report to the APVMA to enable them to make assessments based on real industry practices.
If you have any enquires about this project or are interested in more information about these changes, please email alex.fahy@dpi.vic.gov.au

The survey is available online until 30 June 2010 at:

http://waterrate.questionpro.com/