Article 11. Advertising

• 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:
  • 11.2.1 all statements used in advertising are technically justified;
  • 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;
  • 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;
  • 11.2.4 no company or individual in any one country simultaneously markets different pesticide active ingredients or combinations of ingredients under a single brand name;
  • 11.2.5 advertising does not encourage uses other than those specified on the approved label;
  • 11.2.6 promotional material does not include recommendations at variance with those of the recognized research and advisory agencies;
  • 11.2.7 advertisements do not misuse research results, quotations from technical and scientific literature or scientific jargon to make claims appear to have a scientific basis they do not possess;
  • 11.2.8 claims as to safety, including statements such as "safe", "non-poisonous", "harmless", "non-toxic" or "compatible with IPM," are not made, with or without a qualifying phrase such as "when used as directed". [However, reference to use within specified IPM programmes may be included if validated by the regulating authority, and the claim is qualified accordingly];
  • 11.2.9 statements comparing the risk, hazard or "safety" of different pesticides or other substances are not made;
  • 11.2.10 misleading statements are not made concerning the effectiveness of the product;
  • 11.2.11 no guarantees or implied guarantees, such as "more profits with..." or "guarantees high yields," are given unless definite evidence to substantiate such claims is available;
  • 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;
  • 11.2.13 advertising or promotional material draws attention to the appropriate warning phrases and symbols as laid down in the FAO labelling guidelines (3);
  • 11.2.14 technical literature provides adequate information on correct practices, including the observance of recommended application rates, frequency of applications and pre-harvest intervals;
  • 11.2.15 false or misleading comparisons with other pesticides are not made;
  • 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;
  • 11.2.17 advertisements encourage purchasers and users to read the label carefully, or have the label read to them if they cannot read;
  • 11.2.18 advertisements and promotional activities should not include inappropriate incentives or gifts to encourage the purchase of pesticides.
• 11.3 International organizations and public sector groups should call attention to departures from this Article.

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