End of transition period for fruit trees and avenue trees in Environmental Activities Decree
In 2018 the Activity Decree (legislation in Dutch) has been adapted and the minimal requirement for drift reduction for field spray of crops has been set to 75% DRT. For fruit this has been worked out as 75% at 4,5 m crop free zone of 90% bij 3 meter crop free zone.
For several measures and techniques in fruit and lane trees was – as an exemption – a transitional period foreseen, even though the drift reduction requirement was not met. For fruit this implied that the tunnnelsprayer at 3m CFZ and the wind hedge were temporary tolerated. For lane trees, the requirement of 75% drift reduction was fully postponed. Since the end of the transitional period, 1-1-2021, these exemptions are expired.
Because the transitional measures led to higher – allowed – drift deposition compared to the ‘standard’ Activity Decree allowed drift, these were – in some cases – included in the risk assessment. For the risk assessment Ctgb will not consider these transitional measures in the risk assessment from 01-01-2021.
Because in the Evaluation Manual of Ctgb it was already stated that the transitional measures were only valid until the expiry of the transitional period, no revisions of the Evaluation Manual was done. However, a further explanation is to be found in the updated working instruction DRT classes.
Labels that enter into force from January 2021 will not include these transitional measures. Labels are not revised retroactively. The user is obliged to follow the Activity Decree, which will be enforced by the enforcing agencies.