Bracken Control Group

Certificates of Competence for the Application of Pesticides

On 26 November 2015, the ‘grandfathers rights’ exemption was withdrawn.  This exemption allowed anyone born before 31 December 1964, to use plant protection products (PPPs) authorised for professional use on their own or their employer’s land, without having to hold a certificate (of competence) although they still had to be suitably trained and competent for their job.

All sprayer operators applying plant protection products (PPPs) authorised for professional use (pesticides) must now hold a recognised certificate of competence, whether working on their own land or when working as a contractor.

Note that it is now an offence for anyone to purchase PPPs authorised for professional use unless they ensure that the intended end user has a certificate of competence.

There is a large amount of information available (for a start see The Voluntary Initiative website), but there appear to be three options:

1. Take the new Level 2 Award in the Safe Use of Pesticides Replacing Grandfather Rights – allows you to apply ~PPPs on your own land;
2. Take the existing Level 2 Safe Use of Pesticide (PA) Certificate, appropriate to the type of equipment you use; allows you to spray on your own land or as a contractor.
3. Employ a qualified contractor for all professional pesticides applications. See the BCG list of contractors.