The Law requires all those who use or apply pesticides in agriculture, horticulture, forestry, industrial, amenity or on or near water workplaces to possess a valid Pesticide Certificate in order to comply with regulations. Legislation applies to anyone spraying in the above workplaces, including volunteers, employed or self-employed, regardless of the size of the company or frequency of spraying operations, even if spraying your own land. As of November 2015, non-certificated ‘Grandfather Rights’ spraying is no longer permitted.Compliance with legislation is regulated by the Chemical Regulation Directorate (CRD), the pesticides arm of the Health & Safety Executive (HSE).  They alone determine certification needs and status.  Full details are available on the HSE website.

Since pesticide certification became necessary in the 1980s, NPTC have been the only recognised certifying body. However, in 2015, Lantra also gained authorisation by CRD/HSE as an awarding body for pesticides, having long been known for pesticide training courses.This means that there are now two and only two officially recognised pesticide awarding bodies in the UK. Lantra or NPTC pesticide accreditation is equally valid for meeting HSE/CRD pesticide compliance, both are valid for equal duration, and it is permissible to hold some certificates through NPTC and some through Lantra. Both organisations operate similar certification processes, whereby spray operators must hold a theory test certificate as well as an appropriate applicator certificate in order to comply with HSE/CRD regulations for pesticide use. You will need to hold several certificates if you use a variety of spraying machines. For example, if you use knapsack sprayers as well as tractor/quad-mounted sprayers, you will need to have PA1 + PA2 + PA6 certificates.

Hush Farms are authorised to provide certification through both NPTC and Lantra. Understanding which certificate(s) you need for compliance for your particular spraying task can be confusing, so we have summarised below what certification is needed for the most common types of spray operations: Safe use of Pesticides - PA1Foundation Theory Module assessing knowledge of basic legislation for pesticides. PA1 must first be passed by anyone wishing to take any other PA units. Once PA1 is passed, any of the other PA units may be taken, in any order you wish. Safe Application of Pesticides using vehicle mounted or trailed Boom - PA2aNeeded by anyone wanting to operate vehicle mounted or trailed boom sprayers (+PA1).PA2f is needed if you wish to operate mounted or trailed ‘weed wiper’ types of applicator.Safe Application of Pesticides using pellet or granule applicator - PA4Needed by anyone wishing to apply slug pellets or granules. (+PA1)Safe Application of Pesticides to Land using Hand Held equipment - PA6aNeeded by anyone wishing to apply pesticides using a hand-held lance or knapsack type applicator (+PA1). Lance may be vehicle mounted e.g. on tractor or ATV. PA6mc is needed by anyone wishing to use hand-held 'weed wiper' or wick types of applicator.Safe Application of Pesticides to Land & Water using Hand Held equipment - PA6awNeeded by anyone wishing to apply pesticides using a hand-held lance or knapsack type applicator in or near water. Anyone over the age of 16 can train with Hush Farms to obtain a spray certificate. Just call or email us if you’re still not sure which pesticide qualification you need, or if you would like to book a course.