The arable farmers and open-field vegetable growers often adhere to the application of permitted medium and the associated administrative obligations. However, according to the NVWA, things often go wrong in the field. 30 percent of growers do not use the drug in accordance with the rules. The application of drift-reducing techniques in particular sins. NVWA is announcing more inspections and will analyze the background of these violations.
The vast majority of arable farmers and open-field vegetable growers only use permitted means and adhere reasonably to well to the associated administrative obligations. What is not going well yet is the application of rules for the use of crop protection agents in the field. According to the inspectors of the NVWA, the non-application or improper application of the prescribed drift-reducing techniques is a particular point of concern. This is evident from an overview of the inspections that the NVWA carried out at growers in the past year.
Two types of inspections
In an explanation, the NVWA states that it carries out two different types of inspections to check whether growers actually comply with the rules for the use of crop protection products. During so-called company inspections, the NVWA checks on the basis of the administration whether authorized agents are used and whether they have been applied in accordance with the regulations. During these inspections, the pantry is also physically checked to see if only permitted resources are stored here.
Company inspections
In 2019, the NVWA carried out a total of 183 of these company inspections at growers of arable and vegetable crops in the open air. These inspections showed that 83 percent of the growers visited comply well with the rules. At 17 percent of the growers, a penalty report or written warning was issued for, among other things, the use of unauthorized substances in certain crops or the incorrect maintenance of the spraying administration.
Application inspections
In addition to these company inspections, the NVWA also conducts application inspections in the field. This is to check whether a grower who is spraying the crops complies with all the rules at that time. These inspections include checking whether growers apply the correct techniques to prevent crop protection products from ending up outside the plot, for example in surface water. A total of 121 such inspections were carried out in 2019. It turned out that approximately 40 growers did not comply with these rules. This can have consequences for the environment.
Investigate compliance
The NVWA and the Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality consider 30 percent violation of the crop protection rules in the fields, in particular violations related to the application of drift-reducing techniques, to be too high. Reason for the NVWA to increase the number of application inspections in the coming years. Moreover, at the request of Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality Schouten, the NVWA will conduct an investigation into the causes of what they consider to be low compliance. The NVWA will also involve the sector in this study.
