All farmers are being reminded to stay vigilant during all spraying operations to ensure pesticides remain ontarget, following reports of spray drift damage to late season cotton crops in the Namoi Valley.
Cotton Australia's Stewardship Policy Officer Sally Ceeney said it's important all farmers mitigate the ri sk ofspray drift incidents.
"Effective application of pesticides to prevent off -target spray damage is a priority across all of agriculture toensure the safety of communities and environments," Sally said.
"The financial impact of production losses due to spray drift can also be significant.""All products have the potential to drift, this includes fallow sprays, weed control in late season summer cropsand defoliation applications," Sally said.
Producers are reminded to.
• Use Satacrop to be aware of all the sensitive crops around them.
• Read and follow spray label instructions of all products and ensure you are up to date with the APVMAlabel changes to 2,4 -D products.
• Check the conditions before spraying. Do not spr ay when there is a surface temperature inversion, thisoccurs most evenings and nights.
• Check nozzles for wear and tear; and ensure the spray rig is calibrated before commencing spraying.
• Ensure only trained and certified operators perform any spray operations.
• Be aware of any sensitive crops, riparian zones and native vegetation nearby.
