The FAO Code of Conduct about

Training is a key issue of the FAO Code of Conduct and is considered to be an essential requirement for the implementation and observation of the provisions of the Code. All parties addressed in the Code should therefore give high priority to training activities related to each article of the Code and should coordinate actions to disseminate educational materials of all types to people handling with pesticides.
Below you can find articles of the Code dealing with:
Training in general
Training of health workers
Training of staff / persons involved in sales
Training of users

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The FAO Code of Conduct about "training"

Training in general

1.6

The Code recognizes that training at all appropriate levels is an essential requirement in implementing and observing its provisions. Therefore, governments, pesticide industry, users of pesticides, international organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other parties concerned should give high priority to training activities related to each Article of the Code.

3.6

National and international organizations, governments and pesticide industry should take coordinated action to disseminate educational materials of all types to pesticide users, farmers, farmer organizations, agricultural workers, unions and other interested parties. Similarly, users should seek and understand educational materials before applying pesticides and should follow proper procedures.

4.1

Pesticide industry should:

4.1.6

provide advice and assistance in the training of technical staff involved in the relevant analytical work. Formulators should actively support this effort;

4.4

Exporting governments and international organizations 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.

11.2

Pesticide industry should ensure that:

11.2.3

pesticides which are legally restricted to use by trained or registered operators are not publicly advertised through journals other than those catering for such operators, unless the restricted availability is clearly and prominently shown;

12.2

The Code should be brought to the attention of all concerned in the regulation, manufacture, distribution and use of pesticides, so that governments, individually or in regional groupings, pesticide industry, international institutions, pesticide user organizations, agricultural commodity industries and food industry groups (such as supermarkets) that are in a position to influence good agricultural practices, understand their shared responsibilities in working together to ensure that the objectives of the Code are achieved.

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Training of health workers

5.1

Governments should:

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;

5.2

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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Training of staff / persons involved in sales

8.2

Pesticide industry should:

8.2.7

ensure that persons involved in the sale of pesticides are trained adequately, hold appropriate government licenses (where such licenses 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;

11.2

Pesticide industry should ensure that:

11.2.16

all staff involved in sales promotion are adequately trained and possess sufficient technical knowledge to present complete, accurate and valid information on the products sold;

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Training of users

1.6

The Code recognizes that training at all appropriate levels is an essential requirement in implementing and observing its provisions. Therefore, governments, pesticide industry, users of pesticides, international organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other parties concerned should give high priority to training activities related to each Article of the Code.

3.6

National and international organizations, governments and pesticide industry should take coordinated action to disseminate educational materials of all types to pesticide users, farmers, farmer organizations, agricultural workers, unions and other interested parties. Similarly, users should seek and understand educational materials before applying pesticides and should follow proper procedures.

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.

5.1

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;

5.1.7

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;

5.3

Government and industry should cooperate in further reducing risks by:

5.3.1

promoting the use of proper and affordable personal protective equipment;

7.1

Responsible authorities should give special attention to drafting rules and regulations on the availability of pesticides. These should be compatible with existing levels of user training and expertise. The parameters on which such decisions on availability are based vary widely and must be left to the discretion of each government.

(11.2.17

advertisements encourage purchasers and users to read the label carefully, or have the label read to them if they cannot read;)