Farmers that use professional Plant Protection Products (PPPs) and adjuvants are being reminded that the deadline to register their details on a new government database is less than a month away.
Under new rules, those using PPPs and adjuvants must register, under The Official Controls (Plant Protection Products) Regulations 2020, by June 22.
The new rules require any business in the farming, amenity and forestry sectors which uses professional PPPs and adjuvants as part of the business to register. They must register every address where PPPs and adjuvants are stored, records are kept, they are applied.
For example, if the PPPs are stored at two addresses and the records kept at a separate office, all three addresses must be registered.
A business that has PPPs and adjuvants applied by a third party must also register their details. A contractor who applies the product on behalf of a farmer does not need to register the address of their clients, but they should register the address of their own storeroom.
When answering the question on the quantity of PPPs applied in a typical year, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has advised that contractors should include the total amount of PPPs and adjuvants applied for all clients and it will not be a problem if there is an element of double-counting because the client is also required to register the quantities.
These rules apply to users in England, Scotland and Wales. The form to register can be found on gov.uk.
“The announcement that users of PPPs – which will include livestock farmers as well as arable growers – need to register was somewhat of a surprise and we are aware that many producers have yet to fill out the form,” said David Hurst, farming consultant in the Morpeth office of Strutt & Parker.
“Farmers are being asked to fill out a spreadsheet where they supply their business name and address, plus details of how much product is used, stored and applied annually.
“This will require a bit of looking back through previous records, which is a pain, but the form does at least make clear that a rough estimate will be adequate.
“Once completed, the spreadsheet then needs to be emailed to Defra using the address provided.”
Plant Protection Products (PPPs)
PPPs are used to control pests, weeds and diseases. Example include insecticides; fungicides; herbicides; molluscicides; and plant growth regulators.
They can exist in many forms, including as solid granules, powders or liquids. They contain one or more active substances, co-formulated with other materials.
An adjuvant is a substance that enhances or is intended to enhance a PPP’s effectiveness. An adjuvant does not have significant pesticidal properties but is still subject to regulatory control.
