| | Aerial application requirements | Trust the applicator’s professional judgement | Rights and responsibilities
This information is intended for producers interested in obtaining aerial application services.
As with any custom application service, aerial applicators are required to deliver pesticides on-target in accordance with all product label directions and pesticide application requirements. This means evenly distributing pesticides over the target area while managing drift to ensure that adjacent non-target areas are protected.
Unlike other application methods, aerial applications are conducted at speeds in excess of 100 mph allowing the applicator very little time to react to any unforeseen hazards such as people in the field, crops at the wrong development stage, unmarked bee hives, or sensitive areas downwind. Maximizing application quality starts with farmers identifying potential hazards prior to application and ensuring that these hazards are communicated to the aerial applicator prior to application. The applicator can then plan a quality application strategy in advance.
Although applicators will fly over a field immediately before application to check for hazards, the applicator will be in a very poor position if an unforeseen hazard is discovered. Returning to an airport is not an option -- it is dangerous to land an aircraft carrying a full spray tank. The applicator will have to spray another field to spray which can affect the timeliness of application and level of pest control.
Aerial Application Requirements
Aerial application businesses must be registered with provincial regulatory agencies to ensure they are employing only certified pesticide applicators, carrying insurance, and meeting provincial regulatory requirements regarding their operating practices.
Do not hire anyone to conduct aerial applications unless they hold a valid authorization for the province in which they are operating. Aerial applicators cannot cross provincial borders to provide aerial application services without authorization from the host province. In choosing an aerial applicator, seek recommendations from neighbours or suppliers who have previously used aerial application services. Provincial authorities can confirm whether an applicator is authorized to provide aerial application services.
The Canadian Aerial Applicators Association (CAAA) holds annual calibration clinics to ensure that aircraft used for aerial pesticide application are delivering sprays in a manner that ensures both even spray coverage and drift minimization. Ask whether the aircraft that will be used to spray your property has met calibration requirements. Calibration can be verified by a calibration certificate issued by the CAAA.
Trust the Applicator’s Professional Judgement
Applicators must use professional judgment to determine the best way to spray the field. Aerial applicators must determine how a field is to be sprayed by considering safety, product performance, and efficiency. In some cases, the applicator may only be able to spray the field when wind speed and direction are satisfactory or he may recommend spraying the field through a combination of aerial and ground equipment.
For pesticide safety, application swaths should be oriented so that the applicator is working in a light cross wind with each swath upwind of the last. Applicators should spray when winds are blowing away from sensitive areas (e.g. farmsteads, gardens, adjacent crops, wetlands, etc.) or leave a downwind buffer sufficient to minimize deposition in any sensitive areas. The applicator can determine buffer size using drift model charts and tables. Again, it is very important for applicators to know of all hazards in advance to ensure quality application in all aspects.
Spraying should cease at the onset of a temperature inversion, because fine spray droplets can remain suspended in the air and drift for considerable distances. Applicators may use “smokers” on their planes to determine how spray droplets will disperse by observing the direction and time for smoke plume dispersal. Smoke is used prior to spraying and should not be mistaken for spray drift.
Rights and Responsibilities
Transport Canada regulations provide a number of exemptions for aerial applicators when they are conducting aerial application operations. Applicators must maintain a minimum 2000 foot flying height and a 2000 foot distance from the developed edge of cities or towns unless under authorization from Transport Canada. They must also maintain a reasonable distance from built-up areas such as acreage subdivisions (single farmsteads are not considered to be built up areas). Aerial applicators are also allowed to fly over or under power lines and they are allowed to use roads as landing strips provided that someone is monitoring traffic.
Producers have the legal right to apply pesticides on their property provided that the pesticide application does not contravene any by-laws, regulations, or generally accepted practices. Producers have the legal responsibility to ensure that any pesticide application performed on their property does not cause harm to adjacent properties or people. Hiring a qualified aerial applicator who is legally registered to perform aerial application is the first step in meeting producer responsibility. The second step is ensuring that the applicator is aware of potential hazards in advance of an application. Producers may be held accountable for compensation to adjacent landowners if pesticide damage occurs.
Additional information about aerial application is available from the CAAA at:
Email: caaa@telusplanet.net
P.O. Box 21085, Edmonton, AB T6R 2V4
This information has been developed and supported by:
The article Pesticide Notification may also be of assistance.
Alberta Environment maintains a 24 hour toll-free line for environmental complaints and emergencies: phone 1-800-222-6514.
For more information, contact Jock McIntosh |
|