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Are you spreading snail and/or mouse bait?

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Do you know the licensing requirements when spreading mouse and snail bait and fungicide on fertilizers as a contractor (or for reward) compared to when a farmer applies this on their own property? 

In Western Australia when a person is spreading mouse or snail bait for the purpose of agriculture/horticulture or applying a fungicide on fertiliser

  • for fee or reward must hold a current pest management technicians licence.  In addition, they must either own or work for a currently registered pest management business.
  • for their own purposes (e.g. a farmer or their employees) the user is strongly advised to follow the labelled direction on the product and to take precautionary steps to protect their health and safety and that of any other person in the vicinity of the application. 

Further information is available at the Department of Agriculture and Food WA and  at the Department of Health

In Tasmania when a person is spreading mouse or snail bait for the purpose of agriculture/horticulture or applying a fungicide on fertiliser

  • for fee or reward (e.g. contractor) they must hold (or be working under) a current commercial operator licence and comply with any conditions of that licence.  In order to apply an agricultural chemical, you must also hold a relevant certificate of competency.
  • for their own purposes (e.g. a farmer or their employees) they should be appropriately trained in the use of agricultural chemicals and adhere to the Code of Practice and other relevant legislation  

Click here for information about Commercial Operator’s Licences, Certificates of Competency and the Code of Practice

In Victoria when a person is spreading mouse or snail bait for the purpose of agriculture/horticulture or applying a fungicide on fertiliser

  • for fee or reward (e.g. contractor) they must hold (or be working under) a Commercial Operator Licence.
  • for their own purposes (e.g. a farmer or their employees) they should be appropriately trained in the use of agricultural chemicals

Click here for a summary of the licensing and permit requirements for agricultural chemical use in Victoria.

In Queensland, ordinarily a license is required when a pest management activity is applied as part of a business activity however, there are exemptions for primary production.
Currently the Act does not apply when a pest control activity is being used in primary production, regardless of whether the activity is carried out by the producer or another entity. 
This means that contractors and farmers are exempt from requiring a license when spraying pesticide on an agricultural crop by using a motor vehicle with attached spray booms, laying baits to protect stockfeed from attack by rats or dipping fruit in a pesticide to protect the fruit from damage by insects etc.

However, new legislation is being considered which will most likely change the requirements so that farmers will remain exempt but contractors would require a license under the proposed new arrangements.
For more info - click here

In NSW when a person is spreading mouse or snail bait for the purpose of agriculture/horticulture

  • for fee or reward (e.g. contractor) there is no licensing requirement at present, just a requirement that the applicator have completed mandatory safe chemical use training
  • for their own purposes (e.g. a farmer or their employees) you must to be trained in safe chemical use also apply.  There is no licensing requirement and this will remain the case.
    any aerial application must be done by an EPA-licenced aerial applicator

Recently the proposed Pesticides Regulation 2017 has gone on public exhibition for comment, with one of the changed being to introduce a requirement for persons providing ground pesticide application services for fee or reward to hold a licence from 1 July 2018. This requirement would not apply to farmers’ own pesticide use.

(as at June 2017)

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