The FAO Code of Conduct about

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For the implementation of the FAO Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides

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Agriculture is among the world’s most hazardous industries and pesticides account for 14% of occupational injuries and 10% of known fatalities. Every year billions of kilos of pesticides are intentionally released into the global environment. Highly toxic pesticides have immediate adverse effects on human health, wildlife, local food sources such as cattle or fish, beneficial insects and biodiversity. Less observable impacts emerge over time. Chronic effects include cancers, reproductive problems, birth defects, hormonal disruption and damage to the immune system. Impacts come from direct exposure in use, spray drift, washing work clothes, home pesticide storage, pesticide dumps, and persistence in the environment. Highly persistent pesticides build up in the food chain and accumulate in fatty tissue of humans and animals. The pesticide legacy is ubiquitous.

Below you can find articles of the FAO Code of Conduct dealing with human and environmental health in a narrower sense.

The FAO Code of Conduct about: exposure to pesticides
The FAO Code of Conduct about: risk management
The FAO Code of Conduct about: the use of protective equipment
The FAO Code of Conduct about: provisions to reduce risks

The FAO Code of Conduct about "human and environmental health"

Support: documentation of poisonings

1.4: The Code addresses the need for a cooperative effort between governments of pesticide exporting and importing countries to promote practices that minimize potential health and environmental risks associated with pesticides, while ensuring their effective use.
1.7: The standards of conduct set forth in this Code:
1.7.4: ensure that pesticides are used effectively and efficiently for the improvement of agricultural production and of human, animal and plant health;
3.4: Pesticide industry and traders should observe the following practices in pesticide management, especially in countries without legislation or means of implementing regulations:
3.4.3: pay special attention to the choice of pesticide formulations and to presentation, packaging and labelling in order to reduce risks to users and minimize adverse effects on the environment;
3.4.4: provide, with each package of pesticide, information and instructions in a form and language adequate to ensure effective use and reduce risks during handling;
3.10: Governments and the application equipment industry should develop and promote the use of pesticide application methods and equipment that pose low risks to human health and the environment and that are more efficient and cost-effective, and should conduct ongoing practical training in such activities.
5: Reducing health and environmental risks
5.1: Governments should:
5.1.1: implement a pesticide registration and control system along the lines set out in Article 6;
5.1.2: periodically review the pesticides marketed in their country, their acceptable uses and their availability to each sector of the public, and conduct special reviews when indicated by scientific evidence;
5.1.3: carry out health surveillance programmes of those who are occupationally exposed to pesticides and investigate, as well as document, poisoning cases;
5.1.4: provide guidance and instructions to health workers, physicians and hospital staff on the treatment of suspected pesticide poisoning;
5.1.5: establish national or regional poisoning information and control centres at strategic locations to provide immediate guidance on first aid and medical treatment, accessible at all times;
5.1.6: utilize all possible means for collecting reliable data and maintaining statistics on health aspects of pesticides and pesticide poisoning incidents, with the objective of establishing the WHO harmonized system for identifying and recording such data. Suitably trained personnel and adequate resources should be made available to ensure the accuracy of information collected;
5.1.7: provide extension and advisory services and farmers' organizations with adequate information about practical IPM strategies and methods, as well as the range of pesticide products available for use;
5.1.8: ensure, with the cooperation of pesticide industry, that where pesticides are available through outlets which also deal in food, clothing, medicines or other products for consumption or topical application, they are physically segregated from other merchandise to prevent contamination and/or mistaken identity. Where appropriate, they should be clearly marked as hazardous materials. Every effort should be made to publicize the dangers of storing foodstuffs and pesticides together;
5.1.9: utilize all possible means for collecting reliable data, maintaining statistics on environmental contamination and reporting specific incidents related to pesticides;
5.1.10: implement a programme to monitor pesticide residues in food and the environment.
5.2: Even where a control scheme is in operation, pesticide industry should:
5.2.1: cooperate in the periodic reassessment of the pesticides which are marketed;
5.2.2: provide poison-control centres and medical practitioners with information about pesticide hazards and on suitable treatment of pesticide poisoning;
5.2.3: make every reasonable effort to reduce risks posed by pesticides by:
5.2.3.1: making less toxic formulations available;
5.2.3.2: introducing products in ready-to-use packages;
5.2.3.3: developing application methods and equipment that minimize exposure to pesticides;
5.2.3.4: using returnable and refillable containers where effective container collection systems are in place;
5.2.3.5: using containers that are not attractive for subsequent reuse and promoting programmes to discourage their reuse, where effective container collection systems are not in place;
5.2.3.6: using containers that are not attractive to or easily opened by children, particularly for domestic use products;
5.2.3.7: using clear and concise labelling.
5.2.4: halt sale and recall products when handling or use pose an unacceptable risk under any use directions or restrictions.
5.3: Government and industry should cooperate in further reducing risks by:
5.3.1: promoting the use of proper and affordable personal protective equipment;
5.3.2: making provisions for safe storage of pesticides at both warehouse and farm level;
5.3.3: establishing services to collect and safely dispose of used containers and small quantities of left-over pesticides;
5.3.4: protecting biodiversity and minimizing adverse effects of pesticides on the environment (water, soil and air) and on non-target organisms.
5.5: In establishing production facilities of a suitable standard in developing countries, manufacturers and governments should cooperate to:
5.5.1: adopt engineering standards and operating practices appropriate to the nature of the manufacturing operations and the hazards involved, and ensure the availability of appropriate protective equipment;
5.5.2: take all necessary precautions to protect workers, bystanders, surrounding communities and the environment;
5.5.3: ensure the proper sitting of manufacturing and formulating plants and adequately control wastes and effluents;
5.5.4: maintain quality-assurance procedures to ensure compliance with the relevant standards of purity, performance, stability and safety.
6.1: Governments should:
6.1.6: establish a re-registration procedure to ensure the periodic review of pesticides, thus ensuring that prompt and effective measures can be taken if new information or data on the performance or risks indicate that regulatory action is needed;
6.1.8: collect and record data on the import, export, manufacture, formulation, quality, quantity and use of pesticides in order to assess the extent of any possible effects on human health or the environment, and to follow trends in pesticide use for economic and other purposes;
6.1.9: permit pesticide application and personal protective equipment to be marketed only if they comply with established standards;
8.2: Pesticide industry should
8.2.5: recognise that a pesticide may need to be recalled by a manufacturer and distributor when its use, as recommended, represents an unacceptable risk to human and animal health or the environment, and act accordingly;
10.5: Governments, with the help of pesticide industry and with multilateral cooperation, should inventory obsolete or unusable stocks of pesticides and used containers, establish and implement an action plan for their disposal, or remediation in the case of contaminated sites, and record these activities.
10.6: Pesticide industry should be encouraged, with multilateral cooperation, to assist in disposing of any banned or obsolete pesticides and of used containers, in an environmentally sound manner, including reuse with minimal risk where approved and appropriate.
10.7: Governments, pesticide industry, international organizations and the agricultural community should implement policies and practices to prevent the accumulation of obsolete pesticides and used containers.
11.1: Governments should control, by means of legislation, the advertising of pesticides in all media to ensure that it is not in conflict with label directions and precautions, particularly those relating to proper maintenance and use of application equipment, appropriate personal protective equipment, special precautions for children and pregnant women or the dangers of reusing containers.
11.2: Pesticide industry should ensure that:
11.2.2: advertisements do not contain any statement or visual presentation which, directly or by implication, omission, ambiguity or exaggerated claim, is likely to mislead the buyer, in particular with regard to the "safety" of the product, its nature, composition or suitability for use, official recognition or approval;

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1.7: The standards of conduct set forth in this Code:
1.7.3: promote practices which reduce risks in the handling of pesticides, including minimizing adverse effects on humans and the environment and preventing accidental poisoning resulting from improper handling;
5.1: Governments should:
5.1.3: carry out health surveillance programmes of those who are occupationally exposed to pesticides and investigate, as well as document, poisoning cases;
5.1.4: provide guidance and instructions to health workers, physicians and hospital staff on the treatment of suspected pesticide poisoning;
5.1.5: establish national or regional poisoning information and control centres at strategic locations to provide immediate guidance on first aid and medical treatment, accessible at all times;
5.1.6: utilize all possible means for collecting reliable data and maintaining statistics on health aspects of pesticides and pesticide poisoning incidents, with the objective of establishing the WHO harmonized system for identifying and recording such data. Suitably trained personnel and adequate resources should be made available to ensure the accuracy of information collected;
5.1.9: utilize all possible means for collecting reliable data, maintaining statistics on environmental contamination and reporting specific incidents related to pesticides;
5.2: Even where a control scheme is in operation, pesticide industry should:
5.2.2: provide poison-control centres and medical practitioners with information about pesticide hazards and on suitable treatment of pesticide poisoning;

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Risk management

Exposure to pesticides (men and environment)

Support: control of outlets
Support: risk reduction
Support: scrutinising pesticide availability
Support: consideration of a pesticide ban

4.1: Pesticide industry should:
4.1.1: ensure that each pesticide and pesticide product is adequately and effectively tested by recognised procedures and test methods so as to fully evaluate its efficacy, behaviour, fate, hazard and risk with regard to the various anticipated conditions in regions or countries of use;
4.4: Exporting governments and international organisations should play an active role in assisting developing countries in training personnel on trial design and conduct, the interpretation and evaluation of test data, and risk/benefit analysis. They should also promote maximum availability to, and use by developing countries of, appropriate international assessments and evaluations of pesticide hazards and risks.
5.2: Even where a control scheme is in operation, pesticide industry should:
5.2.4: halt sale and recall products when handling or use pose an unacceptable risk under any use directions or restrictions.
6.1: Governments should:
6.1.2: strive to establish pesticide registration schemes and infrastructures under which products can be registered prior to domestic use and ensure that each pesticide product is registered before it can be made available for use;
6.1.3: conduct risk evaluations and make risk management decisions based on all available data or information, as part of the registration process;
6.1.5: promote the advantages of, and cooperate with other governments in, the establishment of harmonised (regionally or by groups of countries) pesticide registration requirements, procedures and evaluation criteria, taking into account appropriate, internationally agreed technical guidelines and standards, and where possible incorporate these standards into national or regional legislation;
6.1.6: establish a re-registration procedure to ensure the periodic review of pesticides, thus ensuring that prompt and effective measures can be taken if new information or data on the performance or risks indicate that regulatory action is needed;
6.2: Pesticide industry should:
6.2.1: provide an objective pesticide data assessment together with the necessary supporting data on each product, including sufficient data to support risk assessment and to allow a risk management decision to be made;
7.5: Prohibition of the importation, sale and purchase of highly toxic and hazardous products, such as those included in WHO classes Ia and Ib, may be desirable if other control measures or good marketing practices are insufficient to ensure that the product can be handled with acceptable risk to the user.
8.1: Governments should:
8.1.1: develop regulations and implement licensing procedures relating to the sale of pesticides, so as to ensure that those involved are capable of providing buyers with sound advice on risk reduction and efficient use;
8.2: Pesticide industry should:
8.2.4: encourage importing agencies, national or regional formulators and their respective trade organisations to cooperate in order to achieve fair practices as well as marketing and distribution practices that reduce the risks posed by pesticides, and to collaborate with authorities in stamping out any malpractice within the industry;
8.2.5: recognise that a pesticide may need to be recalled by a manufacturer and distributor when its use, as recommended, represents an unacceptable risk to human and animal health or the environment, and act accordingly;
8.2.7: ensure that persons involved in the sale of pesticides are trained adequately, hold appropriate government licences (where such licences exist) and have access to sufficient information, such as material safety data sheets, so that they are capable of providing buyers with advice on risk reduction and efficient use;
11.1: Governments should control, by means of legislation, the advertising of pesticides in all media to ensure that it is not in conflict with label directions and precautions, particularly those relating to proper maintenance and use of application equipment, appropriate personal protective equipment, special precautions for children and pregnant women or the dangers of reusing containers.
11.2: Pesticide industry should ensure that:
11.2.12: advertisements do not contain any visual representation of potentially dangerous practices, such as mixing or application without sufficient protective clothing, use near food or use by or in the vicinity of children;

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The use of protective equipment

3.5: Pesticides whose handling and application require the use of personal protective equipment that is uncomfortable, expensive or not readily available should be avoided, especially in the case of small-scale users in tropical climates. Preference should be given to pesticides that require inexpensive personal protective and application equipment and to procedures appropriate to the conditions under which the pesticides are to be handled and used.
3.10: Governments and the application equipment industry should develop and promote the use of pesticide application methods and equipment that pose low risks to human health and the environment and that are more efficient and cost-effective, and should conduct ongoing practical training in such activities.
5.3: Government and industry should cooperate in further reducing risks by:
5.3.1: promoting the use of proper and affordable personal protective equipment;
5.5: In establishing production facilities of a suitable standard in developing countries, manufacturers and governments should cooperate to:
5.5.1: adopt engineering standards and operating practices appropriate to the nature of the manufacturing operations and the hazards involved, and ensure the availability of appropriate protective equipment;
6.1: Governments should:
6.1.1: introduce the necessary legislation for the regulation of pesticides and make provisions for its effective enforcement, including the establishment of appropriate educational, advisory, extension and health-care services, using FAO guidelines as far as possible. In so doing, they should take full account of local needs, social and economic conditions, levels of literacy, climatic conditions and availability of appropriate pesticide application and personal protective equipment;
6.1.9: permit pesticide application and personal protective equipment to be marketed only if they comply with established standards;
11.1: Governments should control, by means of legislation, the advertising of pesticides in all media to ensure that it is not in conflict with label directions and precautions, particularly those relating to proper maintenance and use of application equipment, appropriate personal protective equipment, special precautions for children and pregnant women or the dangers of reusing containers.
11.2: Pesticide industry should ensure that:
11.2.12: advertisements do not contain any visual representation of potentially dangerous practices, such as mixing or application without sufficient protective clothing, use near food or use by or in the vicinity of children;

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Provisions to reduce risks

Support: risk reduction

1.4: The Code addresses the need for a co-operative effort between governments of pesticide exporting and importing countries to promote practices that minimise potential health and environmental risks associated with pesticides, while ensuring their effective use.
1.7: The standards of conduct set forth in this Code:
1.7.3: promote practices which reduce risks in the handling of pesticides, including minimising adverse effects on humans and the environment and preventing accidental poisoning resulting from improper handling;
3.4: Pesticide industry and traders should observe the following practices in pesticide management, especially in countries without legislation or means of implementing regulations:
3.4.3: pay special attention to the choice of pesticide formulations and to presentation, packaging and labelling in order to reduce risks to users and minimise adverse effects on the environment;
3.4.4: provide, with each package of pesticide, information and instructions in a form and language adequate to ensure effective use and reduce risks during handling;
3.9: Governments, with the support of relevant international and regional organisations, should encourage and promote research on, and the development of, alternatives posing fewer risks: biological control agents and techniques, non-chemical pesticides and pesticides that are, as far as possible or desirable, target-specific, that degrade into innocuous constituent parts or metabolites after use and are of low risk to humans and the environment.
3.10: Governments and the application equipment industry should develop and promote the use of pesticide application methods and equipment that pose low risks to human health and the environment and that are more efficient and cost-effective, and should conduct ongoing practical training in such activities.
5.2: Even where a control scheme is in operation, pesticide industry should:
5.2.3: make every reasonable effort to reduce risks posed by pesticides by:
5.2.3.1: making less toxic formulations available;
5.2.3.2: introducing products in ready-to-use packages;
5.2.3.3: developing application methods and equipment that minimise exposure to pesticides;
5.2.3.4: using returnable and refillable containers where effective container collection systems are in place;
5.2.3.5: using containers that are not attractive for subsequent reuse and promoting programmes to discourage their reuse, where effective container collection systems are not in place;
5.2.3.6: using containers that are not attractive to or easily opened by children, particularly for domestic use products;
5.2.3.7: using clear and concise labelling.
5.3: Government and industry should cooperate in further reducing risks by:
5.3.1: promoting the use of proper and affordable personal protective equipment;
5.3.2: making provisions for safe storage of pesticides at both warehouse and farm level;
5.3.3: establishing services to collect and safely dispose of used containers and small quantities of left-over pesticides;
5.3.4: protecting biodiversity and minimising adverse effects of pesticides on the environment (water, soil and air) and on non-target organisms.
7.5: Prohibition of the importation, sale and purchase of highly toxic and hazardous products, such as those included in WHO classes Ia and Ib, may be desirable if other control measures or good marketing practices are insufficient to ensure that the product can be handled with acceptable risk to the user.
8.1: Governments should:
8.1.1: develop regulations and implement licensing procedures relating to the sale of pesticides, so as to ensure that those involved are capable of providing buyers with sound advice on risk reduction and efficient use;
8.2: Pesticide industry should:
8.2.4: encourage importing agencies, national or regional formulators and their respective trade organisations to cooperate in order to achieve fair practices as well as marketing and distribution practices that reduce the risks posed by pesticides, and to collaborate with authorities in stamping out any malpractice within the industry;
8.2.5: recognise that a pesticide may need to be recalled by a manufacturer and distributor when its use, as recommended, represents an unacceptable risk to human and animal health or the environment, and act accordingly;
8.2.7: ensure that persons involved in the sale of pesticides are trained adequately, hold appropriate government licences (where such licences exist) and have access to sufficient information, such as material safety data sheets, so that they are capable of providing buyers with advice on risk reduction and efficient use;
8.2.8: provide, consistent with national requirements, a range of pack sizes and types that are appropriate for the needs of small-scale farmers and other local users, in order to reduce risks and to discourage sellers from repackaging products in unlabelled or inappropriate containers.

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