Advancing Options for Management and Mitigation of
Spray Drift
Risk Mitigation Measures in Europe to Prevent Plant Protection Product losses to the Environment
Table 1 - SETAC MAgPIE Spray drift reduction technology measures
SETAC MAgPIE no spray/buffer zone mitigation measures
The MAgPIE workshop proceedings provide technical illustration on the implementation of each of these measures, into the form of Risk Mitigation Measure Technical Sheet (RMMTS) that can be found in the appendices (volume 2 to the MAgPIE proceedings). As agreed by the experts, the toolbox is to be seen and used as a living resource, which will be improved and updated on the basis of the experience gained in their implementation. Meanwhile the benefits that these tools may provide towards an increased safety of application of agricultural pesticides was perceived as an incentive to further promote their implementation, and to initiate data gathering on their effectiveness in a variety of situations. The proceedings of the MAgPIE workshop also provide advice on how to measure and account for the effectiveness of the proposed tools in the field and during risk assessments.
Conclusions
Care and attention with selection and operation of equipment considering local environmental conditions and the sensitivity of nearby non-target landscape features can allow for effective drift management thereby avoiding a range of problems such as;
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Inefficient use of application equipment and applicator time;
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Applications made in marginal conditions in relation to the target pest, weed or disease, the crop to be protected or the environmental conditions at the time of treatment that may result in sub-optimal control;
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Unacceptable impacts to sensitive aquatic or terrestrial communities beyond the edge of fields and/or treatment zones.