Farmer need two sprayer courses

ihatewinter

God the Dept is making a right mess out of the sprayer courses. So now farmers will have to do the hand held course if they use a knapsack or quad as well. Total bull****. It's only a money racket to keep the EU happy.



Farmers who spray with a quad or knapsack as well as with the tractor will have to undertake a second sprayer course.
Some farmers who booked in to do a pesticide sprayer course in recent weeks have been told - to their shock - that they must do not one of them but two.

New pesticide rules means that anyone who applies plant protection products will have to register as a professional user and show they have training. Many farmers will have to complete a course to continue using the tractor sprayer.

However, participants at some courses have been told that any of them who also use a quad or knapsack for tidy up spraying should also undertake the "hand held" sprayer course - at extra cost.

A course provider admitted to the Dealer that the courses are very similar. "Some of bigger farmers might use a quad to spray under fences. We've received a lot of queries on it from farmers," he said.

"It's a bit of a grey area. I rang the Department and they are advising two courses, but a lot of lads just won't do the hand-held one." But what happens if the farmer is inspected?

The boom sprayer course involves a practical worth 60% of the course, with a written exam making up the rest.

Meanwhile, there continues to be wide variation when it comes to price and length of the course. Some courses cost €500 while the cheapest that I've heard of is from our old friends FarmCo in Mallow, Co Cork, who are charging just €120.

Nekarsulm

No course needed yet for the watering can. That's how all farmers weedkill about the farmyard, isn't it?

Buford T. Justice XIX

ihatewinter wrote: »

God the Dept is making a right mess out of the sprayer courses. So now farmers will have to do the hand held course if they use a knapsack or quad as well. Total bull****. It's only a money racket to keep the EU happy.



Farmers who spray with a quad or knapsack as well as with the tractor will have to undertake a second sprayer course.
Some farmers who booked in to do a pesticide sprayer course in recent weeks have been told - to their shock - that they must do not one of them but two.

New pesticide rules means that anyone who applies plant protection products will have to register as a professional user and show they have training. Many farmers will have to complete a course to continue using the tractor sprayer.

However, participants at some courses have been told that any of them who also use a quad or knapsack for tidy up spraying should also undertake the "hand held" sprayer course - at extra cost.

A course provider admitted to the Dealer that the courses are very similar. "Some of bigger farmers might use a quad to spray under fences. We've received a lot of queries on it from farmers," he said.

"It's a bit of a grey area. I rang the Department and they are advising two courses, but a lot of lads just won't do the hand-held one." But what happens if the farmer is inspected?

The boom sprayer course involves a practical worth 60% of the course, with a written exam making up the rest.

Meanwhile, there continues to be wide variation when it comes to price and length of the course. Some courses cost €500 while the cheapest that I've heard of is from our old friends FarmCo in Mallow, Co Cork, who are charging just €120.

Would this be a bad time to mention the course only qualifies you for 5 years, then it's time to do it again?

Grand, i won't mention it so:pac:

Mad4simmental

Oh that knapsack, I haven't used that in years.

Buford T. Justice XIX

Mad4simmental wrote: »

Oh that knapsack, I haven't used that in years.

'Tis an antique, that yoke there, sure...

Sacrolyte

Mad4simmental wrote: »

Oh that knapsack, I haven't used that in years.

Knapsack. Whats that? Is it a phone app?

Count Mondego

The biggest joke is that the sprayer course is 2 days and the knapsack is 3!

Limofarmer

My sprayer has a hand lance attachment for spot spraying . Is that covered under boom sprayer course ?

ABlur

Sacrolyte wrote: »

Knapsack. Whats that? Is it a phone app?

Try calibrating one of these

who the fug

Count Mondego wrote: »

The biggest joke is that the sprayer course is 2 days and the knapsack is 3!

Does either course cover use of a budget

Count Mondego

who the fug wrote: »

Does either course cover use of a budget

Is a budget not a knapsack?

Connemara Farmer

So if using a knapsack and quad only, you only need to do one course? I have a boom for the quad, I think it's 10 feet, but can be folded up and turned off to make it 4 foot, arms can be removed.

C0N0R

Limofarmer wrote: »

My sprayer has a hand lance attachment for spot spraying . Is that covered under boom sprayer course ?

Nope not covered

Count Mondego wrote: »

The biggest joke is that the sprayer course is 2 days and the knapsack is 3!

I think Frs do a two day one for nap sack but don't quote me on that.

Connemara Farmer wrote: »

So if using a knapsack and quad only, you only need to do one course? I have a boom for the quad, I think it's 10 feet, but can be folded up and turned off to make it 4 foot, arms can be removed.

Probably the best thing to do yea, the boom sprayer is for booms over 3m I think and nap sack covers under that afaik.

Connemara Farmer

How exactly do they measure a boom? I presume it's the width sprayed rather than the length of anything else.

C0N0R

Connemara Farmer wrote: »

How exactly do they measure a boom? I presume it's the width sprayed rather than the length of anything else.

Distance from one side to the other I'd imagine!

Connemara Farmer

C0N0R wrote: »

Distance from one side to the other I'd imagine!

Lol, yeah, but distance of what :P Arms, area covered by spray, something else?

I may have an idea

C0N0R

Connemara Farmer wrote: »

Lol, yeah, but distance of what :P Arms, area covered by spray, something else?

I may have an idea

Cut the boom down to just the tip of the last nozzles? I would say arms but I guess it's open to interpretation, what are you thinking?

newholland

Buford T. Justice V wrote: »

Would this be a bad time to mention the course only qualifies you for 5 years, then it's time to do it again?

Grand, i won't mention it so:pac:

This is not true.

Nekarsulm

No Sir, its a classic model.... Tax free, and dosen't need to be tested....:D

Connemara Farmer

C0N0R wrote: »

Cut the boom down to just the tip of the last nozzles? I would say arms but I guess it's open to interpretation, what are you thinking?

I'm thinking I must get the measuring tape and hacksaw out.

Sacrolyte

Nekarsulm wrote: »

No Sir, its a classic model.... Tax free, and dosen't need to be tested....:D

I think thats supposed to be on the machinery porn thread.

Sacrolyte

Personally I'm not goin to do the course till I have to. Already the price has come down significantly. Who knows what it will pan out at this time next year when the spraying season is kicking off.

Milton09

Anyone know what are the implications of not doing the course - I presume you need course attendance evidence when buying the chemicals ?? or do you ?

Western Pomise

Like a lot of farmers on west coast with scenic land,have plenty of rushes too:)
Have a weedlicker which is pulled behind the quad and a knapsack sprayer as well for spot spraying nettles and briars along ditches etc to stop them encroaching.
Mine is a simple question?
Does the 'knapsack' sprayer course cover the weedlicker on quad as well??

Or will I have to do two separate courses.
Logic would tell be that the 'boom sprayer' course is for the 'real' tillage farmers down the country with crops etc but logic and the dept don't always see eye to eye!

Be very grateful for any replies,would imagine quite a few farmers on marginal land have a rush licker like me.

C0N0R

Western Pomise wrote: »

Like a lot of farmers on west coast with scenic land,have plenty of rushes too:)
Have a weedlicker which is pulled behind the quad and a knapsack sprayer as well for spot spraying nettles and briars along ditches etc to stop them encroaching.
Mine is a simple question?
Does the 'knapsack' sprayer course cover the weedlicker on quad as well??

Or will I have to do two separate courses.
Logic would tell be that the 'boom sprayer' course is for the 'real' tillage farmers down the country with crops etc but logic and the dept don't always see eye to eye!

Be very grateful for any replies,would imagine quite a few farmers on marginal land have a rush licker like me.

As far As I'm aware knapsack covers booms <3m and knapsacks and weed lickers.

Freejin

For anybody who has done the boom course, what does the practical element involve? Do you actually drive a tractor and spray, or is it more the mixing etc?

Farrell

C0N0R wrote: »

As far As I'm aware knapsack covers booms <3m and knapsacks and weed lickers.

Actually I thought it's the opposite.
Knapsack is any spraying device with a lance & boom would be sprayers & lickers

C0N0R

Farrell wrote: »

Actually I thought it's the opposite.
Knapsack is any spraying device with a lance & boom would be sprayers & lickers

Maybe I am wrong, from what I heard on the course yesterday that's the impression I got.

Western Pomise

Thanks lads....guess a phone call will have to be made to clear it up!:)

monkeynuz

Western Pomise wrote: »

Thanks lads....guess a phone call will have to be made to clear it up!:)

Be careful though, I spoke to someone at a training firm today who was under the impression that the boom course covers for knapsacks as well, basically he wasn't offering the knapsack course and wanted me to do the boom one.

P_Cash

what about no farm folk spraying around there houses out front of drive etc. .

its hardly going the route of show me ID when your buying the round-up.

kowtow

It'll be three damned courses if we go ahead and buy that crop-dusting plane I've been putting off since 2009.

Western Pomise

kowtow wrote: »

It'll be three damned courses if we go ahead and buy that crop-dusting plane I've been putting off since 2009.

monkeynuz wrote: »

Be careful though, I spoke to someone at a training firm today who was under the impression that the boom course covers for knapsacks as well, basically he wasn't offering the knapsack course and wanted me to do the boom one.

In fairness that's a ridiculous situation if people offering courses don't even know what they are covering!:(....only in Ireland

fergus1001

At the end of the day who is going to enforce this anyway.

I am from a farming back round but I'm a forester and while I was in college I worked for the afforestation companies doing spraying planting ect, while I had the course's done (pa1 handheld applicator and pa6 handling dipped plants) everyone around me didn't so it was just a waste of money and it was never enforced by any government body

i suppose its like the chainsaw courses one you have them done anything you do is your fault because you are legally competent but if you give a chainsaw to your neighbours and they chop there leg off your still liable because they "don't know any better"

Buford T. Justice XIX

fergus1001 wrote: »

At the end of the day who is going to enforce this anyway.

I am from a farming back round but I'm a forester and while I was in college I worked for the afforestation companies doing spraying planting ect, while I had the course's done (pa1 handheld applicator and pa6 handling dipped plants) everyone around me didn't so it was just a waste of money and it was never enforced by any government body

i suppose its like the chainsaw courses one you have them done anything you do is your fault because you are legally competent but if you give a chainsaw to your neighbours and they chop there leg off your still liable because they "don't know any better"

It's enforced when buying where you are limited to a small volume of spray that you're entitled to buy unless you have the required registration number.

It's also covered under cross-compliance where they will ask you for the record of any sprays purchased and used and if you spray without the required qualification, you will get penalised in your SFP(or whatever it's called now)

fergus1001

Buford T. Justice V wrote:

It's enforced when buying where you are limited to a small volume of spray that you're entitled to buy unless you have the required registration number.

I see, they actually thought it through so. Hope they bring in similar for the forestry sector so people with said qualifications get their monies worth

Farrell

fergus1001 wrote: »

I see, they actually thought it through so. Hope they bring in similar for the forestry sector so people with said qualifications get their monies worth

Have you had to do any refresher courses for the PA1/2/6?

fergus1001

No I don't have to since the forestry sector is lacking in regulations in that regard but because I have my degree now I can't see a big need for it personally,

I have the chainsaw certs up to nptc cs 31,32,33,34 and 35 and once you have them you have them for life I presume my pesticide certs work the same the coarse for the knapsack is very basic

Basically get told to triple rinse everything and don't spray or pour pesticides into water course's and then calibrate and calculate out a mix for the knapsack to do 100 feet, +/- 20 feet

Connemara Farmer

Which course covers this type of spraying

ganmo

Connemara Farmer wrote: »

Which course covers this type of spraying

Safe & easy to use

...:o

Connemara Farmer

ganmo wrote: »

...:o

No course needed so is what you're saying, that'll do.

sea12

Got a quote today for 490 for boom course. For fcuk sake. Only have the sprayer for a bit of grassland spraying. Docks, thistles and a few rushes. Only bought the sprayer a few years ago as contractor never turned up when it was the ideal time.

kowtow

Connemara Farmer wrote: »

Which course covers this type of spraying

The bit I like best in the literature for that is:

"Ideal for weed control close to habitation"

Right. Particularly if you don't get on with the residents.

joeyk5

Lads haven't a clue , how much is an agri contractor for spraying rough Connemara land that's a jungle of ferns and briars . Needs sorting but no idea how much this sort of thing is ?
and yep clearly not a farmer

lab man

joeyk5 wrote:

Lads haven't a clue , how much is an agri contractor for spraying rough Connemara land that's a jungle of ferns and briars . Needs sorting but no idea how much this sort of thing is ? and yep clearly not a farmer

About 15 per acre