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Policy and Legislation

These guidelines serve to provide guidance on the implementation of the policy and legislation articles of the Code of Conduct and are aimed at governments, pesticide industry and other stakeholders.

• Guidelines on pesticide legislation-2nd edition [2020]
  Analysis of the national legislation should cover all stages of the pesticide life cycle which – according to the Code of Conduct – includes manufacturing, formulation, packaging, distribution, storage, use and final disposal of a pesticide product and/or its container. For many of these stages there is likely to be a range of other legislation that should be considered.

• Guidance on management of household pesticides [2020]
  This guidance focuses on household pesticides, i.e. pest control products used in domestic settings, and addresses their use by non-professionals (by the general public) that is, by individuals who receive no fee or reward for the pesticide application and who generally have no training in pesticide use or in pest management. It does not cover pesticide use in domestic settings by professional pest control operators, which is addressed in separate WHO guidelines. 

• Guidelines on Highly Hazardous Pesticides [2016] (also available in French and Spanish)
  These guidelines set up a step-wise process on how to manage Highly Hazardous Pesticides. The process is organized around three key steps, identification, assessment and mitigation.They underscore the importance of adequate pesticide legislation, and of the assessment of risk and needs as an integral part of the registration process. Countries are encouraged to identify the HHPs in use in their territory to assess the risks involved and to decide upon appropriate measures to mitigate these risks.

• Guidance on Pest and Pesticide Management Policy Development [2010] (also available in French and Spanish)
  The purpose of this document is to provide guidance on pest and pesticide management policy development in support of pesticide risk reduction and sustainable agricultural production. It aims to encourage governments and other stakeholders to consider the question to what extent current pesticide use is actually justified. It places pesticide management in the broader context of pest management, and elaborates on linkages between sustainable pest management and policy objectives related to environmental protection, human health, food safety and trade.

Related resources

• FAOLEX: FAO also maintains a repository of national legislation relevant to agriculture. This includes the pesticide legislation of a large number of FAO member countries that might serve as a reference.
• Designing National Pesticide Legislation This document is a useful resource for countries seeking to design adequate national legal frameworks for pesticides.
• Preventing suicide: a resource for pesticide registrars and regulators