About the Guidelines

The FAO Guidelines on Pesticide Management are in support of the implementation of the Code of Conduct. These technical guidelines provide specific guidance and information covering various areas of pesticide management. Guidelines are predominantly directed to governments, to the national pesticide control authorities, but also to the pesticide industry, the application equipment industry, to non-governmental organizations and other important stakehoders in such field, such as international organizations, food industry and users of pesticides.

They are being developed to supplement the International Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides and assist countries in implementing its various provisions.

The guidelines include such topics as: registration and control of pesticides; legislation; personal protection for those working with pesticides; good labelling practices; pesticide storage and stock control; tender procedures for the procurement of pesticides; etc. These documents are frequently the basis for the development of policies and practices in countries looking to initiate or improve a pesticide management scheme. 

The overall framework provides an overview of the structure and set-up for the guidelines, and it is recommended as first step, to consult this guiding page. It shows the different categories of guidelines their status and availability, and it allows to select the required guidance document.  

Guidelines are developed by the FAO Expert Panel on Pesticide Management, a statutory body of the Organization, which identifies topics that require guidance, carries out technical evaluation of the draft documents, and ensuresquality control and follow-up after publication. The guideline development procedure allows public commenting on draft guidelines, and those guidelines that are open for public comments are listed below

Newly finalized Guidelines:

Guideline title	Publication date	Further information
Guidelines on monitoring and observance of the revised version of the Code of Conduct (French version )	March 2008	Go to guideline page
Guidelines on Efficacy evaluation of the registration of plant protection products (Arabic version )	March 2008	Go to guideline page
Guidelines on monitoring and observance of the revised version of the Code of Conduct (New guideline)	July 2006	Go to guideline page
Guidelines on efficacy evaluation for the registration of plant protection products (revised guideline)	July 2006	Go to guideline page
Guidelines on compliance and enforcement of a pesticide regulatory programme (New guideline)	July 2006	Go to guideline page
Guidelines on Management Options for Empty Pesticide Containers (New guideline)	May 2008	Go to guideline page