Is the National Sprayer Testing Scheme Fit For Purpose?

Unlike other members of the EU, the UK doesn't yet have a compulsory testing scheme for agricultural sprayers (equipment). The need for precise control of chemical sprays is fairly obvious, for four reasons:

1. Excessive spraying is wasteful of chemicals and therefore cash
2. Excessive spraying can be harmful to the environment, crops and potentially consumers
3. Insufficient application will be ineffective and can be a complete waste
4. Erratic or uneven spraying can mean some areas get too much and some get too little to be effective - again a waste of chemicals and cash, and potentially damaging to the environment and crops.

The UK's existing voluntary scheme for sprayer testing - the National Sprayer Testing Scheme - may form the basis of a more regulated scheme.

The Plant Protection Products (Sustainable Use) Regulations 2012came into force in July but there is some confusion about so called 'grandfather rights' and the use of continuous professional development to assess sprayer operators' eligibility to continue spraying. But this new regulation is focused on sprayer operators rather than the machinery, and it's likely that we'll see further regulation of equipment testing in the near future.

In any case, you may be better off complying with the EU sprayer regulations right now:

Regulation in other EU countries are both stricter and clearer, and sprayer test equipment used by testers in these countries is more accurate and so can easily cope with the voluntary UK scheme as well as the EU rules. In particular, our test equipment allows for closer control of individual sprayer heads, leading to more precise spraying and optimal use of pesticides and chemical fertilisers.  

Even if your sprayer equipment complies with current UK standards it may still not be doing the best job for you and your crops. We strongly suggest you have your sprayer equipment tested using kit that complies with tougher EU rules.