Using chemicals responsibly

If you use agricultural or veterinary chemicals on your farm or for business in the Northern Territory, you must:

• keep detailed records
• retain the records for 2 years, after the final usage.

When records must be kept

You must keep records if you use a chemical product in any of the following ways:

• in the course of a business
• to carry out pest control operations on behalf of a public authority
• to carry out vertebrate pest control - for example using 1080 for baiting
• to treat turf on a sporting ground
• to treat a horticultural crop after harvest if you are going to sell it
• to treat a horticultural crop if you are going to sell it
• to treat a crop, pasture or trees in a plantation using powered spray equipment
• to treat stored grain or stock food
• for any purpose using powered spray equipment.

What records to keep

Information that must be kept includes all of the following:

• name and address of person who used the product
• name of the product and APVMA identifying number and its expiry date
• if the product was used in a ground or aerial spraying business, the names and addresses of:
  • the business
  • the licensee
  • the client on whose behalf the product was used
• the rate and amount or product used
• how it was applied and equipment used
• if applied by aerial spraying then record the name and address of the pilot who flew the aircraft and the type of aircraft and its registration number
• the date and time the product was used including start and finish times
• the address or location of the land where it was used, down to the paddock location and size of area
• the type of crop, pasture or other plants in the area
• the temperature, wind speed and direction at the time of spraying
• the target pest or disease
• withholding periods
• details of the permit or authorisation allowing use, if applicable and any additional recorded information required under that permit or authorisation.

Pesticide spray operators should use the agricultural chemical spray record template which meets the requirements of the Control of Use Regulations.

• agricultural chemical spray record PDF (39.0 KB)
• agricultural chemical spray record DOCX (5.8 MB)

Recordkeeping

If you spray on behalf of a ground or aerial business, you must supply the control records to the licensee.

Do this as soon as possible after spraying.

The licensee must keep records and present them when requested by chemical adviser.

Recording the use of veterinary chemical products

If you are not a vet you must keep a record when you use a veterinary chemical to treat cattle, sheep or other animal used for food.

If you are a vet you must keep a record if you prescribe, recommend or use a veterinary chemical product on a food-producing animal in all of the following situations:

• if you use it in a way that is contrary to in the instructions on the label
• the product is a Schedule 4 product - prescription-only medicines requiring professional veterinary diagnosis or management.

Contact

Chemical Services
Phone: 08 8999 2344

chemicals@nt.gov.au