Pesticide spray drift educational videos released
OTTAWA, Jan. 11, 2012 /CNW/ - CropLife Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs have partnered to develop two educational videos on pesticide application best management practices in an effort to educate, and ultimately reduce the incidents of spray drift. This is a new initiative that has been undertaken with current application equipment for both the row-crop and horticultural sectors.
Pesticide spray drift has become a prominent issue in recent years. Both industry and the farm community take it very seriously, recognizing that even extremely low amounts of spray drift can impact sensitive crops, human habitats or environmentally sensitive areas.
"This is a prime example of industry and government coming together and taking proactive steps to reduce spray drift. Industry is committed to using innovative new approaches to improving product stewardship," says Lorne Hepworth, president of CropLife Canada, the trade association representing the developers, manufacturers and distributors of plant science technologies.
The first video, 'What is Spray Drift?', highlights the various causes of spray drift. The second video, 'Equipment and Methods to Reduce Spray Drift', focuses on how applicators can modify equipment to reduce spray drift. Visual demonstrations in the videos use dyes and night spraying to show what drift actually looks like.
The videos describe the newest and best practices in pesticide application using an energetic and fast-paced style geared towards today's growers and custom applicators. They will be made available to educators, pesticide safety organizations, sprayer manufacturers and retailers, agrichemical companies and agricultural associations.
"These videos can help farmers strengthen their environmental stewardship," says Ted McMeekin, Minister, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
To view the videos or learn more about spray drift, visit: www.ontario.ca\spraydrift.
Erin O'Hara
613-230-9881
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