Farmers warned to expect OCR visits within weeks

Farmers are being urged to register their use of plant protection products (PPPs) after it was revealed on-farm OCR inspections are due to start next month.

Issuing an update to NFU Council members at the union headquarters in Stoneleigh Park last week, Combinable Crops chair Matt Culley said it was believed the HSE would be initially concentrating on businesses which farm more than 150 acres or those which have yet to register their usage.

He said: "This is a real call for farmers to get registered as it will reduce the chances of an on-farm inspection by HSE."

Mr Culley said extensive lobbying by the union had succeed in convincing Defra to include earned recognition as part of the process to reduce the burden of inspection, but that the decision had come too late for the first wave of inspections.

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"We do have concerns about how this is being implemented," he said. "But the important thing now is to get online and get registered and make sure you are ready for an inspection, should one come."

The Official Controls (Plant Protection Products) Regulation 2020 (OCR) came into force in June 2020, as part of retained EU law and requires all agricultural users to register with the government.

According to Defra, it is understood inspections will concentrate on: larger premises; those farm businesses not already registered or those which have not had an HSE visit in past five years.

Most PEO (pesticide enforcement officer) visits will be carried out by appointment, but some may be unannounced, and the NFU said it believed they are likely to take two to three hours. The visit will focus on the management of PPPs - storage, handling, application equipment, record keeping and LERAPs (Local Environment Risk Assessments for Pesticides).

The NFU has advised that ahead of visits, farmers should check stocks and dispose of unauthorised PPPs appropriately.

The HSE was contacted for the purposes of this article.