Guidelines for handling, storage and disposal of agrochemicals in the South African wine industry

Authors

Keith du Plessis¹ and Elleunorah Allsopp²

¹ Cape Agency for Sustainable Integrated Development in Rural Areas (Casidra), 22 Louws, Southern Paarl, 7624, South Africa

² ARC Infruitec-Nietvoorbij, Private Bag X5026, Stellenbosch, 7599, South Africa

Introduction

For many producers, economically sustainable agriculture is impossible without using some agrochemicals, i.e., any agricultural remedy registered in terms of Act 36 of 1947, which includes herbicides, miticides, insecticides, nematicides and fungicides.  However, Section 24 of the Bill of Rights within the Constitution of South Africa (Act 108 of 1996) determines that every person has the right to an environment which is not harmful to their health or well-being and that the environment is conserved for current and future generations.  Therefore, all agrochemical users have a constitutional responsibility to ensure that they use these products so as not to cause undue damage to the environment or jeopardise the health of workers and consumers.

The Scheme for Integrated Production of Wine (IPW) provides guidelines for sustainable, environment-friendly viticulture (http://www.ipw.co.za).  IPW encourages farmers to use cover crop cultivation wherever possible to reduce herbicide usage and to monitor pest and disease occurrence before deciding whether or not to implement control measures. Alternatives to chemical control should be used wherever possible.  If and when herbicides and pesticides must be applied, products that pose the least risk to human safety and the environment should be selected, and products with different modes of action should be alternated for resistance management. Based on the health and environmental risks of the active ingredient/ingredients and the other compounds in the formulation, IPW codes agrochemicals registered for use on wine grapes into four risk categories: low, medium, medium to high and high risk.

This information is available on the IPW website. The impact of each agrochemical application is scored by using the product coding, application method and the stage of the growing season when it is applied.  Regarding the handling, storage and disposal of agrochemicals, IPW requires farmers to comply with all relevant South African legislation.

Many laws govern the handling, storage and disposal of agrochemicals on farms.  Consequently, the SABS compiled a national standard, SANS 10206, which summarises all the relevant legal requirements.  These regulations apply to all types of farming and include fruit, grain crops, vegetables, ornamental plants and animal production.  The latest edition, SANS10206: 2010, can be downloaded for free from: https://law.resource.org/pub/za/ibr/za.sans.10206.2010.pdf. 

This document provides users of agrochemicals within the South African wine industry with an easy-to-use guide to comply with all legal requirements regarding the handling, storage, and disposal of agrochemicals on farms, as set out in SANS10206.

Download the full guidelines: Guidelines for Handling Agrochemicals