Summer inspection: there were no problems with organic producers, but the authority “caught” illegal drone plant protection service providers

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The tests ended with mixed results. Experts have found that organic producers carry out their activities legally. However, the drone plant protection service providers violated the legislation in several cases: the authority initiated proceedings 5 times and plant protection fines were imposed on 3 service providers.

Drone plant protection

The official inspectors of the National Food Chain Safety Office (Nébih) and county government offices carried out more than 35 inspections of persons and businesses advertising or providing drone plant protection services.Overall, it can be said that the majority of service providers comply with the legal requirements regarding material, personal and other conditions, which is a significant improvement compared to the experience of the 2022 inspections. However, there are still gaps in the general preparedness and knowledge of the entire regulatory environment related to the maintenance of spraying drones and plant protection. In connection with these, the official inspectors provided detailed information to those concerned in each case. During the summer campaign, official proceedings were initiated against 5 customers due to violations of the regulations, and in several cases there were “excuses”. In the case of 3 service providers, experts imposed plant protection fines due to the seriousness of the violation. The procedures are currently ongoing, and those involved can expect fines of hundreds of thousands of forints. Due to the experience and the novelty of the area, inspections of the drone plant protection service providers are also expected for the rest of the year.

Control of organic producers

The plant protection inspectors of Nébih and county government offices examined the plant protection activities of 41 organic farmers between June 16 and August 11. The focus of the investigations was on the keeping of the spraying diary of the organic farmers, the stock and roll register, the type certification of the plant protection machines, and the examination of their technical validity. In summary, it can be said that the organic producers comply with the legal requirements for their activities, and in their case, there was no use of unauthorized crop-enhancing substances or plant protection agents. The experts took samples from 30 plant products (apples, barley, peas, wine grapes, sweet grapes, wheat, sorghum, walnuts, paprika, sea buckthorn, alfalfa, cherries, tomatoes, triticale) for laboratory testing. Investigations are still ongoing.

Nébih