Authorities are clamping down on spray drift this summer to avoid a repeat of last year’s disastrous season which cost some industries tens of millions in failed crops.
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The NSW Environment Protection Authority will start a compliance campaign targeting registered pesticide users in the New England and North West regions to minimise the impact wayward spraying had on unintended crops.
EPA regional director north branch, Adam Gilligan said officers will be checking spray records and the qualifications of all registered users to ensure they understand the rules and are using products safely.
“Our message to users is simple – read product labels carefully, monitor local weather conditions and communicate with your surrounding neighbours ahead of time to avoid spray drift incidents,” Mr Gilligan said.
Cotton Australia chief executive Adam Kay labelled last year one of the worst seasons in memory for spray drift.
The damage affected 20 per cent of Australia’s cotton during the 2015-16 season, equivalent to about 60,000 hectares.
“Damage was estimated to be more than $20 million, so we are taking this issue very seriously,” Mr Kay said.
Good rain this year has boosted water storage and soil moisture around the region. But it also encouraged intense weed growth, which with more spraying, increased the likelihood of spray drift on a potentially bumper season.
“The Namoi Valley right through is a major production area for cotton,” he said, “And it’s looking like a good season. There will be cotton in areas we haven’t seen before.”
The prevalence of spray drift varied year-to-year and while there had been “very bad” past instances in the local area, much of the damage was easily preventable.
“We urge all farmers, no matter what crop they are growing to access tools to protect their crops from off-target spray drift and to prevent damage to neighbouring farms,” he said.
EPA’s tips for avoiding spray drift:
- 1. Don’t spray when it’s hot.
- 2. Don’t spray when it’s too windy –wind speeds between 3-15km/s are ideal.
- 3. If possible, avoid spraying at dawn, dusk or during the night when temperature inversions are
- more common.
- 4. Have the right equipment – nozzles that produce larger spray droplets are best because spray is
- less likely to drift.
- 5. Don’t drive too fast – it increases wind speed
- 6. Minimise boom height to reduce the distance between spray nozzles and the target crop.
What is a temperature inversion? This is where the layers in the atmosphere are reversed and act like a lid preventing warm air rising like it normally does. During a temperature inversion particles, like the spray from herbicides, stay at the ground level where they have a greater chance of migrating to other areas e.g. non-target crops and vegetation. Temperature inversions are most common at dawn, dusk or during the night.
