Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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179. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to introduce regulations or legislation here that will ensure compliant standards are achieved with regard to the testing and use of agricultural sprayers here in accordance with European Directive 2009/128/EC; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29520/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Directive in question was transposed into Irish legislation by way of Statutory Instrument 155 of 2012. The principle aim of these regulations is to achieve a more sustainable use of pesticides in both the farming and the amenity/landscaping sectors.

With regard to the “testing and use of agricultural sprayers”, these regulations enable me to establish a register of “inspectors of pesticide application equipment” and make it a legal requirement for all pesticide application equipment in use, to be tested by a registered inspector by November 2016. The registered inspectors, when inspecting such equipment, shall apply the standards as set out in EN Standard 13790-1:2003 for Boom sprayers and EN Standard 13790-2:2003 for Orchard and Blast sprayers.

Officials in my Department are currently working on the mechanisms to facilitate this process and it is planned to have a coherent system in place by early 2014.