When it comes to pesticide application, you need the right advice. To get the best yield from your crops, reduce your spend on plant protection products and protect the environment, you need an adviser who is professionally trained and up to date on the latest product developments.

It is also essential that the person you are purchasing your chemicals from is a registered pesticide distributor and the store is a registered distribution store.

Always consult a trained adviser

Many people will offer advice on pesticides, but not all are trained.

There are a lot of rules and regulations surrounding pesticide use and in order to keep everything right, having an adviser who is keeping everything on track, watching changes to labels and is up to date with legislation, is essential.

Pesticide advisers registered with the Department of Agriculture undergo training over the course of a year and once this is completed must carry out continuous professional development (CPD).

Private advisers must attend training events which keep them up to date and sign into these events in order to collect CPD points throughout the year. They need to collect 100 CPD points throughout the year in order to meet the criteria and qualify for registration.

If this upskilling is not completed by private advisers, Teagasc advisers or Department personnel, then advisers’ names will be removed from the Department of Agriculture’s pesticide advisers list.

The Pesticide Registration and Control Divisions (PRCD) administers these registers. You can check if your adviser is on the list by scanning this QR code.

Pesticide distributors must be qualified

Pesticide distributors handing over the counter chemicals to farmers must be registered with the Department of Agriculture. They are also required to attend annual professional development events, and if this training is not completed, the distributor will be removed from the Department’s register.

Irish Agricultural Supply Industry Standards (IASIS) is the main body overseeing pesticide advisers’ and distributors’ continuous professional development. You can learn more about pesticide distributors by scanning this QR code.

Shops and stores

The shop or store where you buy your pesticides from has to be a registered distribution store. These stores are inspected.

They need to be bunded to avoid pesticide loss in case of a spill and have other requirements as well.

You can view the list of registered pesticide distribution stores for 2024 by scanning this QR code on your phone.

Accompany the Agronomist

James Irish is a registered pesticide adviser with the Department of Agriculture.

The Irish Farmers Journal has a series called Accompany the Agronomist which gathers information on crop conditions and progress throughout the main crop growing season. The results of surveys appear in the paper and advisers chat to us on the Tillage Podcast. We visit advisers while crop walking to see what is happening in the fields. You can hear more from the agronomists by scanning this QR code.