Article 2. Terms and definitions

For the purpose of this Code:

• Active ingredient means the biologically active part of the pesticide.
• Advertising means the promotion of the sale and use of pesticides by printed and electronic media, signs, displays, gift, demonstration or word of mouth.
• Application equipment means any technical aid, equipment, implement or machinery which is used for the application of pesticides.
• Application technology means the actual physical delivery and distribution process of a pesticide to the target organism or to the place where the target organism comes into contact with the pesticide.
• Banned pesticide means a pesticide for which all uses have been prohibited by final regulatory action, in order to protect human health or the environment. The term includes a pesticide that has been refused approval for first-time use, or has been withdrawn by industry either from the domestic market or from further consideration in the domestic approval process, and where there is clear evidence that such action has been taken in order to protect human health or the environment.
• Disposal means any operation to recycle, neutralize, destruct or isolate pesticide waste, used containers and contaminated materials.
• Distribution means the process by which pesticides are supplied through trade channels to local or international markets.
• Environment means surroundings, including water, air, soil and their interrelationship as well as all relationships between them and any living organisms.
• Equivalence means the determination of the similarity of the impurity and toxicological profile, as well as of the physical and chemical properties, presented by supposedly similar technical material originating from different manufacturers, in order to assess whether they present similar levels of risk.
• Extension service means those entities in the country responsible for the transfer of information, technology and advice regarding the improvement of agricultural practices, including production, handling, storage and marketing of agricultural commodities.
• Formulation means the combination of various ingredients designed to render the product useful and effective for the purpose claimed; the form of the pesticide as purchased by users.
• Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) in the use of pesticides includes the officially recommended or nationally authorized uses of pesticides under actual conditions necessary for effective and reliable pest control. It encompasses a range of levels of pesticide applications up to the highest authorized use, applied in a manner which leaves a residue which is the smallest amount practicable.
• Hazard means the inherent property of a substance, agent or situation having the potential to cause undesirable consequences (e.g. properties that can cause adverse effects or damage to health, the environment or property).
• Integrated Pest Management (IPM) means the careful consideration of all available pest control techniques and subsequent integration of appropriate measures that discourage the development of pest populations and keep pesticides and other interventions to levels that are economically justified and reduce or minimize risks to human health and the environment. IPM emphasizes the growth of a healthy crop with the least possible disruption to agro-ecosystems and encourages natural pest control mechanisms.
• Label means the written, printed or graphic matter on, or attached to, the pesticide or the immediate container thereof and also to the outside container or wrapper of the retail package of the pesticide.
• Manufacturer means a corporation or other entity in the public or private sector or any individual engaged in the business or function (whether directly or through an agent or entity controlled by or under contract with it) of manufacturing a pesticide active ingredient or preparing its formulation or product.
• Marketing means the overall process of product promotion, including advertising, product public relations and information services as well as the distribution and sale on local or international markets.
• Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) means the maximum concentration of a residue that is legally permitted or recognized as acceptable in or on a food or agricultural commodity or animal feedstuff.
• Packaging means the container together with the protective wrapping used to carry pesticide products via wholesale or retail distribution to users.
• Personal protective equipment means any clothes, materials or devices that provide protection from pesticide exposure during handling and application. In the context of this Code, it includes both specifically designed protective equipment and clothing reserved for pesticide application and handling.
• Pesticide means any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying or controlling any pest, including vectors of human or animal disease, unwanted species of plants or animals causing harm during or otherwise interfering with the production, processing, storage, transport or marketing of food, agricultural commodities, wood and wood products or animal feedstuffs, or substances which may be administered to animals for the control of insects, arachnids or other pests in or on their bodies. The term includes substances intended for use as a plant growth regulator, defoliant, desiccant or agent for thinning fruit or preventing the premature fall of fruit, and substances applied to crops either before or after harvest to protect the commodity from deterioration during storage and transport.
• Pesticide industry means all those organizations and individuals engaged in manufacturing, formulating or marketing pesticides and pesticide products.
• Pesticide legislation means any laws or regulations introduced to regulate the manufacture, marketing, distribution, labelling, packaging, use and disposal of pesticides in their qualitative, quantitative, health and environmental aspects.
• Poison means a substance that can cause disturbance of structure or function, leading to injury or death when absorbed in relatively small amounts by human beings, plants or animals.
• Poisoning means occurrence of damage or disturbance caused by a poison, and includes intoxication.
• Product (or pesticide product) means the pesticide active ingredient(s) and other components, in the form in which it is packaged and sold.
• Product stewardship means the responsible and ethical management of a pesticide product from its discovery through to its ultimate use and beyond.
• Public sector groups means (but is not limited to) scientific associations, farmer groups, citizens' organizations, labour unions and environmental, consumer and health organizations.
• Registration means the process whereby the responsible national government or regional authority approves the sale and use of a pesticide following the evaluation of comprehensive scientific data demonstrating that the product is effective for the intended purposes and does not pose an unacceptable risk to human or animal health or the environment.
• Repackaging means the authorized transfer of a pesticide from any commercial package into any other, usually smaller, container for subsequent sale.
• Residue means any specified substances in or on food, agricultural commodities or animal feed resulting from the use of a pesticide. The term includes any derivatives of a pesticide, such as conversion products, metabolites, reaction products and impurities considered to be of toxicological significance. The term "pesticide residue" includes residues from unknown or unavoidable sources (e.g. environmental) as well as known uses of the chemical.
• Responsible authority means the government agency or agencies responsible for regulating the manufacture, distribution or use of pesticides and more generally for implementing pesticide legislation.
• Risk is a function of the probability of an adverse health or environmental effect, and the severity of that effect, following exposure to a pesticide.
• Severely restricted pesticide means a pesticide for which virtually all use has been prohibited by final regulatory action in order to protect human health or the environment, but for which certain specific uses remain allowed. It includes a pesticide that has, for virtually all use, been refused for approval or been withdrawn by industry either from the domestic market or from further consideration in the domestic approval process, and where there is clear evidence that such action has been taken in order to protect human health or the environment.
• Tender means request for bids in purchasing of pesticides.
• Toxicity means a physiological or biological property which determines the capacity of a chemical to do harm or produce injury to a living organism by other than mechanical means.
• Trader means anyone engaged in trade, including export, import and domestic distribution.
• Use pattern means the combination of all factors involved in the use of a pesticide, including the concentration of active ingredient in the preparation being applied, rate of application, time of treatment, number of treatments, use of adjuvants and methods and sites of application which determine the quantity applied, timing of treatment and interval before harvest.

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