Notification requirements

Legislation requires that certain notification is provided when agricultural chemicals are applied by air or mister equipment within 200 m of the following facilities:

• Schools
• Hospitals
• Aged care services
• Children’s services (i.e. kindergarten or child care centre)

Download the Agriculture spraying notification template [MS Word Document - 46.9 KB]

Mister definition

Spraying equipment that uses air for dispersing the spray and includes the following:

• Mist blowers
• Orchard sprayers
• Air blast sprayers
• Air shear sprayers
• Any other spraying equipment that produces a droplet size spectrum that is classified as fine or very fine under the ASAE S572.1, Spray Nozzle Classification by Droplet Spectra

Mister does not include air-assisted boom sprayers or twin fluid nozzle sprayers.

Requirements for landholders and land occupiers

At the time a person is employed or contracted to carry out spraying by aircraft or mister, the occupier of the land (to be sprayed) must advise them in writing of the details of the locations of any school, hospital, aged care facility or children’s facility within 200 m of the land to be sprayed.

The employee or spray contractor must not begin spraying without this information.

At least 12 hours before spraying is to occur within 200 m of these facilities, the occupier of the land (to be sprayed) must make every reasonable effort to inform the responsible person for the facility of the:

• trade name of chemical product to be used
• location of the proposed spraying
• proposed time, date and duration of spraying.

This information must be provided to the responsible person of the facility. This means:

• for a school, the principal of the school
• for a hospital, the site manager of the hospital
• for premises at which an aged care service is provided, the site manager of the premises
• for premises at which a children’s service is provided, the person in charge of the service.

Requirements for contractors and employees

At least 24 hours before spraying is to occur within 200 m of these facilities, the employee or contractor must provide the landholder/ occupier of the land (to be sprayed) with the:

• trade name of chemical product to be used
• proposed time, date and duration of the spraying.