Overview
Pesticides kill the target pest, reducing pest abundance in the designated area or site.
- Examples include insecticides, fungicides, soil drenches and fumigants. These could be applied on a calendar basis or in response to detections from surveillance and monitoring.
- Evaluating the efficacy of pesticides requires demonstrating that they will result in the required reduction in pest populations at times when the commodity is vulnerable. The resulting effect of pesticide application on infestation rate should also be assessed.
- Existing commercial use of pesticides to manage production pests can be considered when conducting a pest risk assessment, even when the quarantine pest is not the primary management target. Pesticides may also be proposed as a phytosanitary measure to manage the pest.
- Assurance can be achieved through record-keeping and auditing of pesticide application records.
Evidence to support efficacy
Evidence is required to demonstrate that the application of pesticides will result in the required reduction in pest abundance, and therefore infestation rates, at times when the commodity is vulnerable.
Demonstrating efficacy will need to consider the use pattern of the pesticide (e.g. the target life stage, and whether it is contact or systemic), and seasonal and annual variation in pest abundance and pesticide efficacy. It will also need to account for how the pesticide will be applied under commercial settings, and whether pesticides are being alternated to reduce selection for pesticide resistance.
Where pesticides are applied following a set schedule (e.g. calendar-based spraying) efficacy will need to be demonstrated irrespective of pest populations or local environmental conditions. Where pesticide application is risk-based, and informed by surveillance data, models or environmental triggers, evidence is required to support the action threshold criteria.
Applying the measure
How it is used
Many types of pesticides are used to manage pest and disease populations. This can include broad spectrum pesticides that can kill a wide range of pests and/or diseases. The need to avoid pests developing pesticide resistance may dictate pesticide usage, and may require pesticide mode of actions to be alternated. Maximum Residue Limits (MRL) might also limit how and when pesticides can be applied.
Commercial pesticide application may be considered when conducting a pest risk assessment and can be considered as a phytosanitary measure. However, a pesticide requirement needs to take into account factors such as availability in the market, MRLs, pesticide resistance risks, and potential negative effects on Integrated Pest and Disease Management (IPDM) practices, the environment and human health.
Use with other measures
Pesticides are commonly combined with other measures that also minimise exposure to the pest, such as other pest management measures, or protected facilities.
Similar measures
In the pesticide measure, pesticides are used to manage pest populations, thereby reducing pest exposure risks. However, pesticides can also be used as a component of other measures. For instance, they can be used as a treatment to directly reduce infestation rates in or on the commodity. For example, systemic pesticides can be applied post-production as a treatment measure (e.g. through dipping or fumigation). They can also be applied during production to both reduce pest populations (pesticide measure), and to kill pests on the commodity (e.g. fruit) prior to harvest (treatment measure). Pesticides may also be used as a corrective action in Pest Freedom or Low Pest Prevalence measures.
Assurance of correct implementation
Records of pesticide use should include the method and date of application. There may be requirements for training and standard operating procedures to ensure that pesticides are used effectively. These records may be audited annually by authorised personnel, with oversight by the NPPO or relevant authority of the exporting jurisdiction, who will keep the records in case they need to be referenced in the future.