Description of the measure 

Aerial pesticide applications tend to be relatively unprecise and may cause pesticide drift over hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of meters beyond the sprayed plot. They may therefore result in high risk of exposure of off-crop non-target organisms.

Although drift from aerial applications can be somewhat controlled by using the right equipment and spraying under appropriate environmental conditions, aerial applications will generally have less spatial precision than ground applications. 

As a risk mitigation measure, a regulator may register a pesticides that is hazardous to off-crop non-target organisms under the condition that it will not be applied by air.

Conditions for effective implementation

Alternative application methods should be available to apply the pesticide to the crop/pest.

Estimated risk reduction potential

Risk reduction from not applying a pesticide by air will normally be less than 100% because the product will often be applied by ground application instead. This may still cause exposure of non-target organisms outside the crop, though often less so.

The reduction in risk which results from this measure will to a large extent be determined by the difference in degree of the pesticide drift, between the aerial application and the alternative (ground) application method. Further information on spray drift can be found in the MAgPIE workshop report (see below).

Potential constraints

For certain crops and pesticide use situations, alternatives for aerial applications are not possible or difficult and/or costly to apply, e.g. crops on steep slopes, certain plantation crops (e.g. sugarcane), forests, migratory locust swarms)

Further information

Further information on reducing risks of spray drift can be found in:

• MAgPIE workshop report – Mitigating the risks of plant protection products in the environment. Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC)
• Managing pesticide spray drift (including models and studies). Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
• Reducing pesticide spray drift. US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).