Agriculture Victoria has warned against complacency, when it comes to spray drift
It's revealed each year it receives more than 30 complaints about inappropriate use of agricultural chemicals.
Acting Statewide Chemical Standards Officer Felicity Collins said managing the risk of spray drift was one of the most important aspects of agrichemical use.
That was particularly the case in many parts of regional Victoria where a diverse range of agricultural industries often coexisted side by side.
Ms Collins said the aim should always be to achieve maximum application on the target with minimal off-target incidents.
"This results in improved chemical effectiveness and reduced damage and/or contamination of neighbouring crops or nearby sensitive areas," Ms Collins said.
"Damage or contamination to all crop types or pastures from any chemical can occur.
"All chemicals are capable of drift and chemical users should never be complacent.
"The implications of spray drift incidents are distressing for farmers and others impacted and may be devastating for the environment."
While most users were diligent in their use of agrichemicals, each year the department responded to 30-plus complaints about inappropriate use.
Maintaining consumer confidence in agrichemical usage was increasingly important to support domestic and international markets.
All agrichemical users had an ethical, legal and environmental responsibility to prevent the chemical they were spraying from drifting from the target crop or activity.
When chemical users did not manage drift, they could cause thousands of dollars of damage to a neighbouring crop.
"For example, if a contaminated pasture is grazed by livestock such as dairy, the milk may not be fit of sale and the dairy farmer is required to discard the milk," Ms Collins said.
Spray drift that causes damage or contaminates another farmer's crop or produce is an offence in Victoria under the Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals (Control of Use) Act 1992.
Ms Collins said there was plenty of technology available to prevent spray drift, and accessible information on how to manage drift.
