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The monthly control campaign has just ended Pesticides organized by the Carabinieri Forestry Region Command “Campania” in connection with the ASL competent authorities, aimed at identifying irregular conduct in the use of plant protection products in agriculture, with possible risks to the environment, human health and good agricultural practice.
The monitoring campaign highlighted that one in four activities, among those monitored, was not in compliance with current legislation. The checks focused on the storage phase of the plant protection products, the execution of the treatment with attention to the necessary qualifications, the documentation required by law and the adequacy of the instruments, as well as the subsequent phase of disposal of the waste produced. Particular attention was paid to keeping the treatment register, a necessary tool to have knowledge of the products, quantities and frequency of administration to the crops, which in several cases was absent, not updated or not correctly filled in. The controlled activities were there were 82 with 20 infringements contested for €82,000 in fines and 3 subjects referred to the judicial authorities.
Among the activities of particular importance are the following:
Saint Gregory the Great (SA): Soldiers from the Carabinieri Forestry Unit of Buccino found, in a company that marketed agricultural products, the presence of 21 packages of phytosanitary products, held in the absence of the required purchase and sale qualification certificates. Therefore, a report of investigation, administrative seizure and related administrative sanction was drawn up which provides an amount ranging from €5,000.00 to €20,000.00.
Sant’Anastasia (Na): the Carabinieri Park Unit of San Sebastiano al Vesuvio has sanctioned an activity of sale of plant protection products for the placing on the market of a plant protection product in the absence of ministerial authorizations for an amount of €30,000.
Marcianise (CE): the Carabinieri Forestry Unit of Marcianise (CE) ascertained irregularities at a tobacco grower who was not able to show a register of treatments and was not able to provide any register of loading and unloading of dangerous waste, for this violation the fine was increased to €4,133.30.
Benevento: The Carabinieri Forestry Unit of Benevento has fined an amount equal to €6,666.66 for one business for having used a herbicide product having pure acid glyphosate as its active ingredient, in the absence of the certificate of qualification for purchase and use.
Montella (AV): Soldiers from the Carabinieri Forestry Unit of Bagnoli Irpino (AV) reported the owner of a company because the company was storing pesticides with old danger pictograms, therefore unusable and unmarketable, beyond the year 2017 and therefore considered waste dangerous to dispose of in authorized sites. Furthermore, the pesticides were seized.
The use of pesticides requires attention and knowledge of the risks linked to improper use and the sector regulations, updated in 2015, provide that they can only be used by individuals with specific authorisation/qualification, be used using periodically maintained and annotated equipment of each individual treatment on a specific company register.
