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The International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management

The International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management

World Health OrganizationFood and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Rome, 2014

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Foreword by the FAO Director-General vJosé Graziano da Silva

Foreword by the WHO Director-General viiMargaret Chan

Article 1 Objectives of the Code 1

Article 2 Terms and definitions 3

Article 3 Pesticide management 8

Article 4 Testing of pesticides 11

Article 5 Reducing health and 13environmental risks

Article 6 Regulatory and technical 16requirements

Article 7 Availability and use 19

Article 8 Distribution and trade 20

Article 9 Information exchange 22

Article 10 Labelling, packaging, 24storage and disposal

Article 11 Advertising 26

Article 12 Monitoring and Observance 28of the Code

Annex 1 International instruments 31in the field of chemicalmanagement, environmental and health protection, sustainable development and international trade, relevant to the Code

References 33

Notes 39

iii

Contents

Foreword by the FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva v

This is the fourth version of the Interna-tional Code of Conduct on Pesticide Man-agement that FAO’s governing bodieshave approved since 1985. It provides aframework that guides government reg-ulators, the private sector, civil societyand other stakeholders on best practicein managing pesticides throughout theirlifecycle. Its overall structure remains un-changed and covers every aspect of pes-ticide management from production todisposal.

This version, approved by the 38th FAOConference in June 2013, incorporatespublic health pesticides and vector con-trol to broaden the scope of the Code ofConduct beyond agricultural pesticides. Itgives greater attention to health and en-vironmental aspects of pesticides, up-dates a number of definitions and termsand aligns guidance in several technicalareas with developments in internationalchemicals management.

The new Code comes at a time whengreater attention is being focused on in-creasing food production while conserv-

ing and enhancing the natural resourceson which that production depends.Healthy ecosystems produce more, pre-vent or maintain pests and diseases atacceptable levels and are more resilientto shocks. The new strategic frameworkfor FAO has been reoriented to supportsustainable agricultural production asone of its strategic objectives. This newCode is an integral component of this ob-jective. In the area of pest and diseasemanagement this means using Inte-grated Pest Management (IPM), whichhas successfully reduced pesticide useand improved yields, food quality and in-comes for millions of farmers.

Providing farmers with access to localsupplies of well adapted and good qualityseeds and planting material helps to pre-vent the spread of pests and diseases.Protecting soils and attending to nutrientand water availability to crops produceshealthier plants that are more resilient topest and disease attacks. Such holisticapproaches, as embodied in the FAOpublication Save and Grow(a), help to re-duce reliance on pesticides and other ex-

Foreword by the FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva

The International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Managementvi

ternal inputs with ensuing economic,health and environmental benefits forfarmers and consumers.

The International Code of Conduct on Pes-ticide Management is a voluntary frame-work that has been endorsed by the FAOMembers, and supported by key pesti-cide industry associations and civil soci-ety organizations. It complements legallybinding instruments such as the Rotter-dam Convention on the Prior Informed Con-sent Procedure for Certain HazardousChemicals and Pesticides in InternationalTrade, the Stockholm Convention on Persis-tent Organic Pollutants and the Basel Con-vention on the Control of TransboundaryMovements of Hazardous Wastes and theirDisposal, and voluntary mechanisms suchas the Strategic Approach to InternationalChemicals Management (SAICM).

(a) Save and Grow, FAO, 2011

Pesticides are an important group ofchemicals that need careful manage-ment. I encourage all those who havedealings with pest management andpesticides to use this document as aguiding reference in designing their poli-cies, legislative texts and technical ap-proaches. Our partnership with WHO andUNEP and our close collaboration withthe private sector and civil society furtherstrengthen the relevance and broad en-dorsement of work in this area.

I hope that through effective implemen-tation of this new International Code ofConduct on Pesticide Management we canachieve significant reduction of risks tohealth and the environment from pesti-cides, while improving the productivity,sustainability and livelihoods of farmerseverywhere.

José Graziano da SilvaDirector-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Foreword by the WHO Director-General Margaret Chan vii

The 134th WHO Executive Board hastaken note of the International Code ofConduct on Pesticide Management. TheCode of Conduct provides voluntary stan-dards of conduct for all entities engagedin or associated with the management ofpesticides throughout their life-cycle,from production to disposal. The main objective of the Code of Con-duct is to maximize the benefits of pes-ticides to effectively control pests inpublic health and agriculture, while pro-tecting human and animal health and theenvironment from their harmful effects.

The Code of Conduct is designed for usewithin national legislation. It describesthe shared responsibility of many sec-tors; addresses the need for a coopera-tive effort; recognizes the need forcapacity-strengthening for its implemen-tation; and describes the standards ofconduct for pesticide management, com-plementing the legally binding instru-ments on chemicals management.

Originally developed by FAO in 1985, thecurrent version of the Code of Conduct,

approved by the 38th FAO Conference inJune 2013, was developed through theFAO/WHO joint collaboration on pesti-cide management, and incorporates pub-lic health pesticides and vector control tobroaden its scope beyond agriculturalpesticides. Of relevance to public health,the Code now focuses on risk reductionby calling on countries to identify and, ifnecessary, remove from use, highly haz-ardous pesticides; gives attention to vul-nerable groups such as children, womenand people affected by HIV/AIDS, em-phasizes minimizing the use of pesti-cides, and strongly recommends the useof integrated vector management forcontrol of vector-borne diseases.

The Code of Conduct will serve as a guid-ing framework to strengthen the capacityof developing Member States to regulate,evaluate and enforce effective controlover pesticides, including those used inpublic health, that are traded and used intheir territories.

WHO urges countries and other stake-holders to collaborate and exchange in-

Foreword by the WHO Director-General Margaret Chan

formation and experiences to overcomeresource constraints and to buildneeded capacity. FAO and WHO, as thetwo partner organizations, will furtherstrengthen efforts to work closely with

other United Nations partners, the pri-vate sector and civil society to raiseawareness and build capacity for effec-tive implementation of the Code of Con-duct in developing countries.

Margaret ChanDirector-General of the World Health Organization

The International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Managementviii

1

1.1 The objectives of this Code are toestablish voluntary standards ofconduct for all public and privateentities engaged in or associatedwith the management of pesti-cides, particularly where there isinadequate or no national legisla-tion to regulate pesticides.

1.2 The entities which are addressed bythis Code include governments, in-ternational organizations, pesticideindustry, application equipment in-dustry, traders of pesticides, pestcontrol operators (PCOs), food in-dustry and other industries that useor have an interest in pesticides, pes-ticide users, and public-interestgroups such as environmentalgroups, consumer groups and tradeunions.

1.3 The Code is designed for usewithin the context of national leg-islation as a basis whereby rele-vant entities addressed by theCode may determine whether theirproposed actions and/or the ac-

tions of others constitute accept-able practices.

1.4 The Code describes the shared re-sponsibility of many sectors of so-ciety to work together so that thebenefits to be derived from thenecessary and acceptable use ofpesticides are achieved withoutsignificant adverse effects on hu-man and animal health and/or theenvironment. To this end, all ref-erences in this Code to a govern-ment or governments shall bedeemed to apply equally to re-gional groupings of governmentsfor matters falling within their ar-eas of competence.

1.5 The Code addresses the need fora cooperative effort betweengovernments of pesticide export-ing and importing countries topromote practices that minimizepotential health and environ-mental risks associated withpesticides, while ensuring theireffective use.

Article 1Objectives of the Code

Article 1 Objectives of the Code

The International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management2

1.6 The Code recognizes that relevanttraining at all appropriate levels isan essential requirement in imple-menting and observing its provi-sions. Therefore, entities addressedby the Code should give high prior-ity to relevant training and capacitybuilding activities related to eachArticle of the Code.

1.7 The standards of conduct set forthin this Code:

1.7.1 encourage responsible and gener-ally accepted trade practices;

1.7.2 assist countries which have not yetestablished regulatory controls onthe quality and suitability of pesti-cide products needed in that coun-try to promote the judicious and ef-ficient use of such products andaddress the potential risks associ-ated with their use;

1.7.3 promote practices which reducerisks throughout the lifecycle ofpesticides, with the aim of mini-mizing adverse effects on hu-mans, animals and the environ-ment and preventing accidentalpoisoning resulting from handling,storage, transport, use or dis-posal, as well as from the pres-ence of pesticide residues in foodand feed;

1.7.4 ensure that pesticides are used ef-fectively and efficiently and in amanner that contributes to the sus-tainable improvement of agricul-ture, public and animal health andthe environment;

1.7.5 adopt the “life-cycle” approach tomanagement of pesticides to ad-dress all major aspects related tothe development, registration, pro-duction, trade, packaging, labelling,distribution, storage, transport,handling, application, use, disposaland monitoring of pesticides andpesticide residues as well as man-agement of pesticide waste andpesticide containers;

1.7.6 are designed to promote IntegratedPest Management (IPM) and Inte-grated Vector Management (IVM);

1.7.7 promote participation in informa-tion exchange and internationalagreements identified in Annex 1,in particular the Rotterdam Conven-tion on the Prior Informed Consent(PIC) Procedure for Certain Haz-ardous Chemicals and Pesticides inInternational Trade*(1).

* Numbers in brackets throughout the text referto the references listed at the end of this docu-ment.

3

For the purpose of this Code:

Active ingredient means the part of theproduct that provides the pesticidal ac-tion.

Advertisingmeans the promotion of thesale and use of pesticides by printed andelectronic media, signs, displays, gifts,demonstration or word of mouth.

Application equipmentmeans any tech-nical aid, equipment, implement or ma-chinery which is used for the applicationof pesticides.

Application technology means the ac-tual physical delivery and distributionprocess of a pesticide to the target or-ganism or to the place where the targetorganism comes into contact with thepesticide.

Banned pesticide means a pesticide alluses of which have been prohibited byfinal regulatory action, in order to protecthuman health or the environment. It in-cludes a pesticide that has been refused

approval for first-time use, or has beenwithdrawn by industry either from thedomestic market or from further consid-eration in the domestic approval process,and where there is clear evidence thatsuch action has been taken in order toprotect human health or the environ-ment.

Co-formulant means a non-active ingre-dient component of a formulated prod-uct.

Containermeans any object used to holda pesticide product.

Disposalmeans any operation to recycle,neutralize, destroy or isolate pesticidewaste, used containers and contami-nated materials.

Distributionmeans the process by whichpesticides are supplied through tradechannels to local or international mar-kets.

Environment means surroundings, in-cluding water, air, soil and their interrela-

Article 2Terms and definitions



tionship as well as all relationships be-tween them and any living organisms.

Equivalencemeans the determination ofthe similarity of the impurity and toxico-logical profile, as well as of the physicaland chemical properties, presented bysupposedly similar technical materialoriginating from different manufacturers,in order to assess whether they presentsimilar levels of risk.

Extension service means the entities ina country which are responsible for thetransfer of information, technology ad-vice and training regarding the improve-ment of agricultural practices, includingproduction, handling, storage and mar-keting of agricultural commodities.

Formulation means the combination ofvarious ingredients designed to renderthe product useful and effective for thepurpose claimed and for the envisagedmode of application.

Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) in theuse of pesticides includes the officiallyrecommended or nationally authorizeduses of pesticides under actual conditionsnecessary for effective and reliable pestcontrol. It encompasses a range of levelsof pesticide applications up to the highestauthorized use, applied in a manner whichleaves a residue which is the smallestamount practicable.

Hazardmeans the inherent property of asubstance, agent or situation having the

potential to cause undesirable conse-quences (e.g. properties that can causeadverse effects or damage to health, theenvironment or property).

Highly Hazardous Pesticides meanspesticides that are acknowledged to pre-sent particularly high levels of acute orchronic hazards to health or environmentaccording to internationally acceptedclassification systems such as WHO orGHS or their listing in relevant binding in-ternational agreements or conventions.In addition, pesticides that appear tocause severe or irreversible harm tohealth or the environment under condi-tions of use in a country may be consid-ered to be and treated as highlyhazardous.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)means the careful consideration of allavailable pest control techniques andsubsequent integration of appropriatemeasures that discourage the develop-ment of pest populations and keep pes-ticides and other interventions to levelsthat are economically justified and re-duce or minimize risks to human andanimal health and/or the environment.IPM emphasizes the growth of ahealthy crop with the least possible dis-ruption to agro-ecosystems and en-courages natural pest controlmechanisms.

Integrated Vector Management (IVM)means the rational decision-makingprocess for the optimal use of re-

5

sources for disease vector control. Itaims to improve efficacy, cost-effec-tiveness, ecological soundness andsustainability of disease vector controlinterventions for control of vector-borne diseases.

International Organization means apublic intergovernmental organizationincluding the UN, UN Specialized Agen-cies and Programmes, DevelopmentBanks, and CGIAR Member Centres, In-ternational Scientific Bodies such asIUPAC, CIPAC, SETAC.

Label means the written, printed orgraphic matter on, or attached to, thepesticide or the immediate containerthereof and also to the outside containeror wrapper of the retail package of thepesticide.

Life cycle means all the stages a pesti-cide might pass through from productionto its degradation in the environmentafter use, or its destruction as an unusedproduct. The life cycle includes manufac-ture, formulation, packaging, distribu-tion, storage, transport, use and finaldisposal of a pesticide product and/or itscontainer.

Manufacturer means a corporation orother entity in the public or private sec-tor (including an individual) engaged inthe business or function (whether di-rectly or through an agent or entity con-trolled by or under contract with it) ofmanufacturing a pesticide active ingre-

dient or preparing its formulation orproduct.

Marketingmeans the overall process ofproduct promotion, including advertis-ing, product public relations and infor-mation services as well as thedistribution and sale on local or interna-tional markets.

Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) meansthe maximum concentration of aresidue that is legally permitted or rec-ognized as acceptable in or on a food oragricultural commodity or animal feed-stuff.

Packaging means the container to-gether with the protective wrappingused to carry pesticide products viawholesale or retail distribution to users.

Personal protective equipment meansany clothes, materials or devices thatprovide protection from pesticide expo-sure during handling and application. Inthe context of this Code, it includes bothspecifically designed protective equip-ment and clothing reserved for pesti-cide application and handling.

Pest means any species, strain or bio-type of plant, animal or pathogenicagent injurious to plants and plantproducts, materials or environmentsand includes vectors of parasites orpathogens of human and animal dis-ease and animals causing public healthnuisance.



Pest Control Operator (PCO)means anyperson or company that apply pesti-cides as a profession.

Pesticidemeans any substance, or mix-ture of substances of chemical or bio-logical ingredients intended forrepelling, destroying or controlling anypest, or regulating plant growth.

Pesticide managementmeans the reg-ulatory and technical control of all as-pects of the pesticide life cycle,including production (manufacture andformulation), authorization, import, dis-tribution, sale, supply, transport, stor-age, handling, application and disposalof pesticides and their containers toensure safety and efficacy and to min-imize adverse health and environmen-tal effects and human and animalexposure.

Poison means a substance that cancause disturbance of structure or func-tion, leading to illness, injury or deathwhen absorbed in relatively smallamounts by human beings, plants oranimals.

Poisoning means occurrence of dam-age or disturbance caused by a poison,and includes intoxication.

Product (or pesticide product) meansthe formulated product (pesticide ac-tive ingredient(s) and co-formulants),in the form in which it is packaged andsold.

Product stewardship means the re-sponsible and ethical management ofa pesticide product from its discoverythrough to its ultimate use and be-yond.

Public Interest Groupmeans (but is notlimited to) scientific association, farmergroup, citizens’ organization, labourunion and non-governmental environ-mental, consumer and health organiza-tion.

Public health uses of pesticidesmeanspesticides that are used in the controlof pests of public health significance.They include disease vector controlpesticides, household pesticide prod-ucts, and professional pest control pes-ticides (used by pest control operatorsin homes and public areas).

Registration means the processwhereby the responsible national gov-ernment or regional authority approvesthe sale and use of a pesticide followingthe evaluation of scientific data aimedat demonstrating that the product is ef-fective for its intended purposes anddoes not pose an unacceptable risk tohuman or animal health or the environ-ment under the conditions of use in thecountry or region.

Repackaging means the transfer of apesticide from any authorized com-mercial package into any other, usu-ally smaller, container for subsequentsale.

7

Residue means any specified sub-stances in or on food, agricultural andother types of commodities or animalfeed as well as in environmental mediaincluding soil, air and water resultingfrom the use of a pesticide. The term in-cludes any derivatives of a pesticide,such as conversion products, metabo-lites, breakdown products, reactionproducts and impurities considered tobe of toxicological or ecotoxicologicalsignificance. The term “pesticideresidue” includes residues from un-known or unavoidable sources (e.g. en-vironmental contamination) as well asknown, authorized uses of the chemi-cal.

Responsible authority means the gov-ernment agency or agencies responsi-ble for regulating pesticides and moregenerally for implementing pesticidelegislation.

Risk is the probability and severity of anadverse health or environmental effectoccurring as a function of a hazard andthe likelihood and the extent of expo-sure to a pesticide.

Severely restricted pesticide means apesticide virtually all use of which hasbeen prohibited by final regulatory ac-tion in order to protect human health orthe environment, but for which certainspecific uses remain allowed. It includesa pesticide that has, for virtually all use,been refused for approval or been with-drawn by industry either from the mar-

ket or from further consideration in thedomestic approval process, and wherethere is clear evidence that such actionhas been taken in order to protecthuman health or the environment.

Specification means the parametersand criteria defining the physical ap-pearance and physical and chemicalproperties of technical and formulatedpesticides linked with hazard and riskprofiles.

Tendermeans a formal request for bidsin the procurement of pesticides.

Toxicity means a physiological or bio-logical property which determines thecapacity of a chemical to do harm orproduce injury to a living organism byother than mechanical means.

Tradermeans anyone engaged in trade,including export, import and domesticdistribution.

Vulnerable groupsmeans persons thatinclude pregnant and nursing women,the unborn, infants and children, the el-derly, HIV/AIDS affected people and,when subject to high exposure to pes-ticides over the long term, workers andresidents.



3.1 Governments have the overall re-sponsibility for regulating the avail-ability, distribution and use of pes-ticides in their countries and shouldensure the allocation of adequateresources for this mandate(2).

3.2 Pesticide industry should adhereto the provisions of this Code as astandard for the manufacture, dis-tribution, sale and advertising ofpesticides. This is particularly im-portant in those countries thathave not yet established or are un-able to effectively operate ade-quate regulatory schemes and ad-visory services.

3.3 Governments, industry and otherentities addressed by this Code,should ensure that the require-ments of relevant internationalagreements are followed.

3.4 Governments of pesticide export-ing countries should, to the extentpossible ensure that good tradingpractices are followed in the ex-

port of pesticides, especially withthose countries that have not yetestablished adequate regulatoryschemes:

3.5 Pesticide industry and tradersshould observe the following prac-tices in pesticide management.This is particularly important inthose countries that have not yetestablished or are unable to effec-tively operate adequate regulatoryschemes and advisory services.

3.5.1 supply only pesticides of ade-quate quality, packaged and la-belled as appropriate for eachspecific market(3);

3.5.2 in close cooperation with procur-ers of pesticides, adhere closely tothe provisions of FAO and WHOguidance on procurement and ten-der procedures(4, 5);

3.5.3 pay special attention to the choiceof pesticide formulations and topresentation, packaging and la-belling in order to minimize risksto users, the public and the envi-ronment;

Article 3Pesticide management

9

3.5.4 provide, with each package of pes-ticide, information and instructionsin one or more of the official lan-guages of the country and in aform adequate to ensure effectiveuse, and minimize risks to users,the public and the environment;

3.5.5 be capable of providing effectivetechnical support, backed up by fullproduct stewardship to end userlevel, including advice on and im-plementation of mechanisms forthe effective management of un-used and obsolete pesticides andempty pesticide containers;

3.5.6 retain an active interest in follow-ing their products through theirentire life-cycle, keeping track ofmajor uses and the occurrence ofany problems arising from the useof their products, as a basis for de-termining the need for changes inlabelling, directions for use, pack-aging, formulation or productavailability.

3.6 Pesticides whose handling and ap-plication require the use of per-sonal protective equipment that isuncomfortable, expensive or notreadily available should beavoided, especially in the case ofsmall-scale users and farm work-ers in hot climates(6).

3.7 All relevant entities addressed bythis Code should take coordinatedaction to produce and disseminaterelevant and clear educational ma-

terials through all available mediato extension services, agriculturaland public health advisory ser-vices, farmers and farmers’ orga-nizations, pest control operators,public health workers and otherentities providing advice on pesti-cide management. Users shouldbe encouraged to seek educationalmaterials and be helped to under-stand and follow its advice beforehandling and applying pesticides.

3.8 Concerted efforts should be madeby governments to develop andpromote the use of IPM/IVM. Fur-thermore, lending institutions,donor agencies and governmentsshould support the developmentof national IPM/IVM policies andimproved IPM/IVM concepts andpractices. These should be basedon strategies that promote in-creased participation of farmers,(including women’s groups), ex-tension agents and on-farm re-searchers, communities, and rel-evant entities from the publichealth and other sectors.

3.9 All stakeholders, including farmersand farmer associations, IPM/IVMresearchers, extension agents,crop consultants, food industry,manufacturers of biological andchemical pesticides and applicationequipment, PCOs, public healthworkers, environmentalists andrepresentatives of consumer

Article 3Pesticide management


groups and other public interestgroups should play a proactive rolein the development and promotionof IPM/IVM.

3.10 Governments, with the support ofrelevant international and regionalorganizations, donor agencies andresearch funds, should encourageand promote research on, and thedevelopment of, alternatives toexisting pesticides that pose fewerrisks such as biological controlagents and techniques; non-chemical pesticides and pest con-trol methods; pesticides that areof low risk to human and animalhealth and the environment, thatas far as possible or desirable, aretarget-specific, and that degradeinto innocuous constituent partsor metabolites after use.

3.11 Governments, pesticide industryand the application equipment in-dustry should develop and promotethe use of pesticide applicationmethods(7, 8, 9, 10, 11) and equipment(12,13, 14, 15, 16) that minimize the risksfrom pesticides to human and ani-mal health and/or the environmentand that optimize efficiency andcost-effectiveness, and should con-duct periodic practical training insuch activities(17). The applicationequipment industry should alsoprovide users with information onproper maintenance and use of ap-plication equipment.

3.12 Governments, pesticide industryand national and international or-ganizations should collaborate todevelop and promote strategies toprevent and manage pest resis-tance to pesticides in order to pro-long the useful life of valuable pes-ticides and reduce the adverseeffects of resistance to pesticides.This should include considerationof the impacts of pesticides usedin agriculture on resistance devel-opment among disease vectorsand public health pests(18, 19).

3.13 Governments whose programmesfor regulating pesticides are welldeveloped should, to the extentpossible, provide technical assis-tance, including training, to othercountries in developing their in-frastructure and capacity to man-age pesticides throughout theirlife-cycle.

11

4.1 Pesticide industry should: 4.1.1 ensure that each pesticide and pes-

ticide product is adequately and ef-fectively tested by recognized pro-cedures and test methods so as tofully evaluate its inherent physical,chemical or biological properties,efficacy(20, 21), behaviour, fate, haz-ard and risk(22, 23) with regard to thevarious anticipated uses and con-ditions in regions or countries ofuse;

4.1.2 ensure that such tests are con-ducted in accordance with soundscientific and experimental proce-dures and the principles of goodlaboratory and experimental prac-tice(24);

4.1.3 make available copies or summariesof the original reports of such testsfor assessment by responsible gov-ernment authorities in all countrieswhere the pesticide is to be offeredfor sale or use. If translated docu-ments are provided, their accuracyshould be certified;

4.1.4 ensure that the proposed use, labelclaims and directions, packages,

safety data sheets, technical liter-ature and advertising truly reflectthe outcome of these scientifictests and assessments;

4.1.5 provide, at the request of a country,methods for the analysis of any ac-tive ingredient, co-formulant or rel-evant impurity or formulation thatthey manufacture, and provide thenecessary analytical standards;

4.1.6 provide advice and assistance inthe training of technical staff in-volved in the relevant analyticalwork. Formulators should activelysupport this effort;

4.1.7 conduct residue trials prior to mar-keting, at least in accordance withCodex Alimentarius and FAO guide-lines on good analytical practice(25)and on crop residue data(26, 27) in or-der to provide a basis for estab-lishing appropriate maximumresidue limits.

4.2 Each country should possess orhave access to facilities to verifyand exercise control over the qual-ity of pesticides offered for sale or

Article 4Testing of pesticides

Article 4Testing of pesticides


export, to establish the quantity ofthe active ingredient or ingredientsand the suitability of their formula-tion, according to FAO or WHO rec-ommended specifications(28, 29, 30) ornational specifications, when avail-able(31). Where a country lacks suit-able facilities, access to laboratoriesin another country should be con-sidered.

4.3 International organizations andother interested bodies should,within available resources, con-sider assisting in the establish-ment of analytical laboratories, orstrengthening existing laborato-ries, in pesticide importing coun-tries, either on a national or a re-gional basis. All such laboratoriesshould be set up in a manner thatassures their economic and tech-nical sustainability beyond thescope of assistance provided by in-ternational organizations and otherinterested bodies. These laborato-ries should adhere to sound scien-tific procedures and guidelines forgood laboratory practice, shouldpossess the necessary expertiseand should have adequate analyt-ical equipment and supplies of cer-tified analytical standards, sol-vents, reagents and appropriate,up-to-date analytical methods.

4.4 Exporting governments and inter-national organizations should playan active role in assisting develop-

ing countries in training personneland providing guidance on the de-sign and conduct of trials, the in-terpretation and evaluation of testdata, and risk/benefit analysis.They should also promote maxi-mum availability to, and use by de-veloping countries of, appropriateinternational, regional and nationalassessments and evaluations ofpesticide hazards and risks.

4.5 Pesticide industry and govern-ments should collaborate in post-registration surveillance and con-ducting monitoring studies todetermine the fate of pesticidesand their health and environmentaleffects under operational condi-tions(32).

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5.1 Governments should:5.1.1 implement a pesticide policy, and a

pesticide registration and controlsystem along the lines set out inArticle 6;

5.1.2 regularly review the pesticides mar-keted in their country, their accept-able uses and their availability toeach sector of the public, and con-duct special reviews when indicatedby scientific evidence;

5.1.3 carry out health surveillance pro-grammes of those who are occu-pationally exposed to pesticides andinvestigate, as well as document,poisoning cases;

5.1.4 provide guidance and instructionsto health workers, physicians andhospital staff on the diagnosis andtreatment of suspected pesticidepoisoning as well as on the preven-tion of exposure and poisoning, andthe reporting and recording of inci-dences;

5.1.5 establish national or regional poi-soning information and control cen-tres at strategic locations to provideimmediate guidance on first aid and

medical treatment, accessible at alltimes(33, 35);

5.1.6 utilize all possible means for col-lecting reliable data and maintain-ing statistics on health effects ofpesticides and pesticide poisoningincidents, using harmonized toolswhere available and submit, whereappropriate, the Rotterdam Con-vention Human Health IncidentReport Forms on Severely Haz-ardous Pesticide Formulations(SHPF), to the relevant designatednational authority(34). Suitablytrained personnel and adequateresources should be made avail-able to ensure the accuracy of in-formation collected;

5.1.7 provide extension services, agricul-tural and public health advisory ser-vices, farmers and farmers’ organi-zations, pest control operators,public health workers and other en-tities providing advice on pestand/or vector management withadequate information about prac-tical IPM/IVM strategies and meth-ods, pesticide risk reduction mea-

Article 5Reducing health and environmental risks



sures, as well as the range of allmethods available for use, includinginformation on risks, hazards andmitigation measures in case of ex-posure or accident;

5.1.8 with the cooperation of the pesti-cides industry, limit the availabilityof pesticides that are sold to thegeneral public through non-spe-cialized outlets, to low hazardproducts (WHO Class U) or low riskand ready to use products that re-quire no dilution or other prepara-tion, and can be applied with lim-ited need for personal protectiveequipment;

5.1.9 require that pesticides be physicallysegregated from other merchandizeto prevent contamination or mis-taken identity and where appropriaterequire that pesticides are clearlymarked as hazardous materials. Ev-ery effort should be made to publi-cize the dangers of storing pesticidesand foodstuffs together;

5.1.10 utilize all possible means for col-lecting reliable data, maintainingstatistics on environmental con-tamination and adverse effects,and reporting specific incidents re-lated to pesticides. Where appro-priate, governments should sub-mit the Rotterdam ConventionEnvironmental Incidents ReportingForms on Severely HazardousPesticide Formulations (SHPF) tothe designated national author-ity(34). Suitably trained personneland adequate resources should be

made available to ensure the ac-curacy of information collected;

5.1.11 implement a programme to moni-tor pesticide residues in food, feed,drinking water, the environmentand habitations where pesticideshave been applied.

5.2 Even where a control scheme is inoperation, pesticide industry should:

5.2.1 cooperate in the regular reassess-ment of the pesticides which aremarketed;

5.2.2 provide poison-control centres andmedical practitioners with informa-tion about pesticide hazards, toxic-ity of active ingredients and co-for-mulants and on suitable treatmentof pesticide poisoning;

5.2.3 provide users and environmentalauthorities with information on ap-propriate remediation measures incase of spills and accidents;

5.2.4 make every reasonable effort to re-duce risks posed by pesticides by: 5.2.4.1 making less toxic formula-tions available; 5.2.4.2 introducing products inready-to-use packages; 5.2.4.3 developing application meth-ods and equipment that minimizeexposure to pesticides; 5.2.4.4 using returnable and refillablecontainers where effective con-tainer collection systems are inplace; 5.2.4.5 using containers that are notattractive for subsequent reuse andpromoting programmes to discour-

15

age their reuse, where effectivecontainer collection systems are notin place; 5.2.4.6 using containers that are notattractive to or easily opened bychildren, particularly for domesticuse products; 5.2.4.7 using clear and concise la-belling.

5.2.5 halt sale and recall products as soonas possible when handling or usepose an unacceptable risk underany use directions or restrictionsand notify the government.

5.3 Government and industry shouldcooperate in further reducing risksby:

5.3.1 promoting the use of personal pro-tective equipment which is suitablefor the tasks to be carried out, ap-propriate to the prevailing climaticconditions and affordable(6);

5.3.2 making provisions for safe storageof pesticides at wholesale, retail,warehouse and farm level(36);

5.3.3 establishing services to collect andsafely dispose of used containersand small quantities of left-overpesticides(37);

5.3.4 protecting biodiversity and mini-mizing adverse effects of pesti-cides on the environment (water,soil and air) and on non-target or-ganisms;

5.3.5 raising awareness and under-standing among pesticide usersabout the importance and ways ofprotecting health and the environ-

ment from the possible adverse ef-fects of pesticides.

5.4 Entities addressed by the Codeshould consider all available factsand should promote responsible in-formation dissemination on pesti-cides and their uses, risks and al-ternatives.

5.5 In establishing pesticide productionfacilities of a suitable standard indeveloping countries, manufactur-ers and governments should coop-erate to:

5.5.1 adopt engineering standards andoperating practices appropriateto the nature of the manufactur-ing operations and the hazardsinvolved, and ensure the avail-ability of appropriate protectiveequipment;

5.5.2 take all necessary precautions toprotect workers, bystanders,nearby communities and the en-vironment;

5.5.3 ensure the proper siting of manu-facturing and formulating plants aswell as their stores and adequatelymonitor and control wastes, emis-sions and effluents in accordancewith national and regional regula-tions where available, or in accor-dance with relevant internationalguidelines;

5.5.4 maintain quality-assurance proce-dures to ensure compliance withthe relevant standards of purity,performance, stability and safety.



6.1 Governments should:6.1.1 introduce the necessary policy and

legislation for the regulation ofpesticides, their marketing and usethroughout their life cycle, andmake provisions for its effectivecoordination and enforcement, in-cluding the establishment of ap-propriate educational, advisory,extension and health-care ser-vices, using as a basis FAO andWHO guidelines and, where appli-cable, the provisions of relevantlegally binding instruments. In sodoing, governments should takefull account of factors such as localneeds, social and economic con-ditions, levels of literacy, climaticconditions, availability and afford-ability of appropriate pesticide ap-plication and personal protectiveequipment;

6.1.2 as recommended by the Interna-tional Partnership for Cooperationon Child Labour in Agriculture(b) in-troduce legislation to prevent theuse of pesticides by and sale ofpesticides to children. The use of

pesticides by children in a work sit-uation should be included in Na-tional Hazardous Work Lists forchildren under ILO Convention No.182 on the Worse Forms of ChildLabour in countries which haveratified it;

6.1.3 establish regulatory schemes suchas licenses or permits for pest con-trol operators;

6.1.4 establish pesticide registrationschemes and infrastructures underwhich each pesticide product is reg-istered before it can be made avail-able for use;

Article 6Regulatory and technical requirements

(b)A partnership of: International Labour Organiza-tion (ILO), Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Devel-opment (IFAD), International Food Policy Re-search Institute (IFPRI) of the ConsultativeGroup on International Agricultural Research(CGIAR) , International Union of Food, Agricul-tural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco andAllied Workers’ Associations (IUF).

17

6.1.5 conduct risk evaluations and makerisk management decisions basedon all relevant available data andinformation, as part of the pesticideregistration process(40, 41);

6.1.6 as part of the registration processestablish Good Agricultural Prac-tice in line with the definition ofGAP in article 2, for each pesticidethat is registered for agriculturaluse;

6.1.7 use the principles described in theManual on Development and Useof FAO and WHO Specifications forPesticides for determining equiva-lence of pesticides(28);

6.1.8 promote the advantages of, andcooperate with other governmentsin, the establishment of harmonized(regionally or by groups of countries)pesticide registration requirements,procedures and evaluation criteria,taking into account appropriate, in-ternationally agreed technicalguidelines and standards, andwhere possible incorporate thesestandards into national or regionallegislation(40, 41);

6.1.9 Allow for re-evaluation and es-tablish a re-registration proce-dure to ensure the regular reviewof pesticides, thus ensuring thatprompt and effective measurescan be taken if new informationor data on the performance orrisks indicate that regulatory ac-tion is needed;

6.1.10 improve regulations in relation tocollecting and recording data on im-

port, export, manufacture, formu-lation, quality and quantity of pes-ticides;

6.1.11 collect and record data on the im-port, export, manufacture, formu-lation, quality, quantity and use ofpesticides in order to assess the ex-tent of any possible effects on hu-man and animal health and/or theenvironment, and to monitor trendsin pesticide use for economic andother purposes;

6.1.12 permit pesticide application equip-ment and personal protectiveequipment to be marketed only ifthey comply with established stan-dards(7, 8, 9, 13);

6.1.13 detect and control counterfeitingcand illegal trade in pesticidesthrough national inter-agency andintergovernmental cooperation andinformation sharing;

6.1.14 Regulate and monitor pesticideresidues in food in accordance no-tably with the recommendations ofthe Codex Alimentarius. In the ab-sence of Codex standards, nationalor regional standards should beused. This should be done in a man-ner that is consistent with WTO re-quirements and will not lead totechnical barriers in trade.

Article 6Regulatory and technical requirements

(c) As of the time of finalization of the Code of Con-duct WHO uses the expression substandard/spu-rious/falsely-labelled/falsified/counterfeit withregard to medical products.


6.2 Pesticide industry should:6.2.1 provide an objective assessment

together with the necessary sup-porting data on each product, in-cluding sufficient data to supportrisk assessment and to allow a riskmanagement decision to be made;

6.2.2 provide national regulatory author-ities with any new or updated in-formation that could change theregulatory status of the pesticide,as soon as it becomes available;

6.2.3 ensure that the active ingredientand co-formulants of pesticideproducts being marketed corre-spond in identity, quality, purity andcomposition to the ingredients ofthe registered pesticide productthat have been tested, evaluatedand cleared for toxicological and en-vironmental acceptability;

6.2.4 ensure that technical grade and for-mulated pesticide products conformwith applicable national standardsor FAO recommended specificationsfor agricultural pesticides, and withWHO recommended specificationsfor public health pesticides, whenavailable;

6.2.5 verify the quality and purity of pes-ticides offered for sale;

6.2.6 when problems with pesticides oc-cur, voluntarily take corrective ac-tion and, when requested by gov-ernments, help find solutions todifficulties;

6.2.7 provide their national governmentswith clear and concise data on ex-port, import, manufacture, formu-

lation, sales, quality and quantity ofpesticides.

6.3 Relevant international organiza-tions and bilateral agencies shouldbe encouraged to give high priorityto requests for assistance from de-veloping countries which do not yethave the facilities and expertise forpesticide management and controlsystems.

19

7.1 Responsible authorities should givespecial attention to drafting legis-lation on the availability and use ofpesticides. These should be com-patible with existing levels of usertraining and expertise. The param-eters on which decisions on theavailability and use of pesticides arebased vary widely and should beleft to the discretion of each gov-ernment.

7.2 When determining the risk and de-gree of restriction appropriate tothe product, the responsible author-ity should take into account the typeof formulation, method of applica-tion and its uses. Governmentsshould, where appropriate, takenote of and may consider using theGlobally Harmonized System ofClassification and Labelling ofChemicals (GHS)(45) or the WHO Rec-ommended Classification of Pesti-cides by Hazard(44) as the basis fortheir regulatory measures and as-sociate the hazard class with well-recognized hazard symbols.

7.3 Availability of pesticides may be re-stricted by the responsible authorityin different ways, such as not regis-tering a product or, as a condition ofregistration, restricting the availabil-ity to certain groups of users or cer-tain uses in accordance with a na-tional assessment of the hazardsinvolved in the use of the product.

7.4 Governments and industry shouldensure that all pesticides made avail-able to the general public are pack-aged and labelled in a manner whichis consistent with FAO/WHO or otherrelevant guidelines on packaging andlabelling(3) and with appropriate na-tional or regional regulations.

7.5 Prohibition of the importation, dis-tribution, sale and purchase of highlyhazardous pesticides may be con-sidered if, based on risk assessment,risk mitigation measures or goodmarketing practices are insufficientto ensure that the product can behandled without unacceptable riskto humans and the environment.

Article 7Availability and use

Article 7Availability and use


8.1 Governments should:8.1.1 develop legislation and implement

licensing procedures relating to thesale of pesticides, so as to ensurethat those involved are capable ofproviding buyers with sound adviceon risk reduction, as well as judi-cious and efficient use;

8.1.2 encourage, to the extent possible,a market-driven supply process,as opposed to government pur-chasing, to reduce the potentialfor accumulation of excessivestocks. However, when govern-ments, parastatals, aid pro-grammes or other agencies pur-chase pesticides, the procurementshould be based on FAO and WHOguidance on tender and procure-ment for pesticides(4, 5);

8.1.3 ensure that any pesticide subsidiesor donations do not lead to exces-sive or unjustified use which maydivert interest from more sustain-able alternative measures.

8.2 Pesticide industry should:8.2.1 take all necessary steps to ensure

that pesticides traded internation-ally conform at least to:8.2.1.1 relevant international con-ventions and regional, sub-regionalor national regulations;8.2.1.2 relevant FAO or WHO rec-ommended specifications, wheresuch specifications have been de-veloped;8.2.1.3 principles embodied in GHSand relevant FAO, and/or WHOguidelines on classification and la-belling;8.2.1.4 rules and regulations onpackaging, marking and trans-portation laid down by the UN Rec-ommendations on the Transport ofDangerous Goods(48), and by inter-national organizations concernedwith specific modes of transport(e.g. ICAO(d), IMO(e), RID(f), ADR(g) andIATA(h)).

8.2.2 ensure that pesticides manufac-tured for export are subject to thesame quality requirements andstandards as those applied to com-parable domestic products;

8.2.3 ensure that pesticides manufac-

Article 8Distribution and trade

21

tured or formulated by a subsidiarycompany meet appropriate qualityrequirements and standards.These should be consistent withthe requirements of the hostcountry and of the parent com-pany;

8.2.4 encourage importing agencies, na-tional or regional formulators andtheir respective trade organizationsto cooperate in order to achieve fairpractices as well as marketing anddistribution practices that reducethe risks posed by pesticides, andto collaborate with authorities instamping out any unethical practicewithin the industry;

8.2.5 recognize that a pesticide may needto be recalled by a manufacturerand distributor when its use, as rec-ommended, represents an unac-ceptable risk to human and animalhealth or the environment, and actaccordingly;

8.2.6 endeavour to ensure that pesticidesare traded by and purchased fromreputable traders, who shouldpreferably be members of a recog-nized trade organization;

8.2.7 ensure that persons involved in thesale of pesticides are trained ade-quately, hold appropriate govern-ment permits or licences (wherethey exist) and have access to suf-ficient information, such as safetydata sheets, so that they are capa-ble of providing buyers with adviceon risk reduction as well as judiciousand efficient use;

8.2.8 provide, consistent with national,sub-regional or regional require-ments, a range of pack sizes andtypes that are appropriate for theneeds of small-scale farmers,household and other local users, inorder to reduce risks and to discour-age sellers from repackaging prod-ucts in unlabelled or inappropriatecontainers;

8.2.9 not knowingly supply pesticidesthat are restricted for use by par-ticular groups of users, for sale tounauthorized users.

8.3 Procurers of pesticides should es-tablish purchasing procedures toprevent the oversupply of pesticidesand consider including requirementsrelating to pesticide storage, distri-bution and disposal services in apurchasing contract(4, 5).

Article 8Distribution and trade

(d) International Civil Aviation Organization.(e) International Maritime Organization.(f) Regulations concerning the international car-riage of dangerous goods by rail.

(g)European Agreement concerning the interna-tional carriage of dangerous goods by road.

(h) International Air Transport Association.


9.1 Governments should:9.1.1 promote the establishment or

strengthening of networks for in-formation exchange on pesticidesand IPM/IVM through national in-stitutions, international, regionaland sub-regional organizations andpublic interest groups;

9.1.2 facilitate the exchange of informa-tion between regulatory and imple-menting authorities to strengthencooperation. The information to beexchanged should include:9.1.2.1 actions taken to ban orseverely restrict a pesticide in orderto protect human health or the en-vironment, and additional informa-tion upon request;9.1.2.2 scientific, technical, economic,regulatory and legal informationconcerning pesticides including tox-icological, environmental and safetydata; 9.1.2.3 the availability of resourcesand expertise associated with pes-ticide regulatory activities;9.1.2.4 cases of counterfeit(i) and il-legal pesticides being traded;

9.1.2.5 poisoning and environmentalcontamination incidents data.

9.2 In addition, governments are en-couraged to develop:

9.2.1 legislation that permits public accessto information about pesticide risksand the regulatory process, whilesafe-guarding intellectual property;

9.2.2 administrative procedures to pro-vide transparency and facilitate theparticipation of the public in theregulatory process, while safe-guarding intellectual property;

9.3 International organizations should,within available resources, provideinformation on specific pesticides(including guidance on methods ofanalysis) through the provision ofcriteria documents, fact sheets,training and other appropriatemeans.

9.4 All entities addressed by this Codeshould:

9.4.1 support the process of informationexchange and facilitate access to

Article 9Information exchange

23

information on matters includingpesticide hazards and risks,residues in food, drinking water andthe environment, the use of pesti-cides in or on non-food products,IPM/IVM, pesticide efficacy, alter-natives to highly hazardous pesti-cides and related regulatory andpolicy actions;

9.4.2 encourage collaboration betweenpublic interest groups, internationalorganizations, governments andother interested stakeholders toensure that countries are providedwith the information they need tomeet the objectives of the Code.

Article 9Information exchange

(i) As of the time of finalization of the Code of Con-duct WHO uses the expression substandard/spu-rious/falsely-labelled/falsified/counterfeit withregard to medical products.


10.1 All pesticide containers should beclearly labelled in line with relevantregulations or GHS(45) and/orFAO/WHO guidelines on good la-belling practice for pesticides(3).

10.2 Pesticide Industry should use labelsthat:

10.2.1 comply with registration require-ments and include recommenda-tions consistent with those of therelevant authorities in the countryof sale;

10.2.2 include appropriate symbols andpictograms whenever possible, withtheir signal words or hazard and riskphrases, in addition to written in-structions, warnings and precau-tions in the appropriate language orlanguages;

10.2.3 comply with national labelling re-quirements or, in the absence ofmore detailed national standards,with the GHS, the FAO/WHO guid-ance on pesticide labelling, andother relevant international labellingrequirements;

10.2.4 include, in the appropriate lan-

guage or languages, a warningagainst the reuse of containersand instructions for decontamina-tion and the safe disposal of usedcontainers;

10.2.5 identify each lot or batch of theproduct in numbers or letters thatcan be understood without theneed for additional code refer-ences;

10.2.6 clearly show the release date(month and year) of the lot orbatch(28), expiry date (as appropri-ate) and contain relevant informa-tion on the storage stability of theproduct.

10.3 Pesticide industry, in cooperationwith government, should ensurethat:

10.3.1 packaging, storage and disposal ofpesticides conform in principle tothe relevant FAO, UNEP, WHOguidelines or regulations(36, 37, 38, 49,51, 53, 54, 55) or to other internationalguidelines, where applicable;

10.3.2 packaging or repackaging is carriedout only on licensed premises that

Article 10Labelling, packaging, storage and disposal

25

comply with safety standardswhere the responsible authority issatisfied that staff are adequatelyprotected against toxic hazards,that adequate measures are inplace to avoid environmental con-tamination, that the resulting prod-uct will be properly packaged andlabelled, and that the content willconform to the relevant qualitystandards.

10.4 Governments should take the nec-essary regulatory measures toprohibit the repackaging or de-canting of any pesticide into food,beverage, animal feed or other in-appropriate containers and rigidlyenforce punitive measures that ef-fectively deter such practices.

10.5 Governments, with the help of pes-ticide industry and with multilateralcooperation, should inventory(54) ob-solete or unusable stocks of pesti-cides and used containers, establishand implement an action plan fortheir disposal, or remediation in thecase of contaminated sites(55), andrecord these activities.

10.6 Governments should ensure thatthe treatment and disposal of haz-ardous pesticide waste are carriedout in an environmentally soundmanner that complies with nationaland regional regulations, relevantinternational standards and Multi-national Environmental Agree-

ments, in particular the Basel Con-vention(52).

10.7 Pesticide industry should, with mul-tilateral cooperation, assist in dis-posing of any banned or obsoletepesticides and of used containers,in an environmentally sound man-ner, including reuse or recycling,with minimal risk where approvedand appropriate.

10.8 Governments, pesticide industry,international organizations, theagricultural community and vectorcontrol programmes should im-plement policies and practices toprevent the accumulation of ob-solete pesticides and used con-tainers(49).

Article 10Labelling, packaging, storage and disposal


11.1 Governments should approve andimplement legislation to regulatethe advertising of pesticides in allmedia to ensure that it is in line withthe conditions of registration as re-gards label directions and precau-tions, particularly those relating toproper maintenance and use of ap-plication equipment, appropriatepersonal protective equipment,special precautions for vulnerablegroups and the dangers of reusingcontainers(47).

11.2 Pesticide industry should ensurethat:

11.2.1 all statements used in advertisingare technically justified;

11.2.2 advertisements do not contain anystatement or visual presentationwhich, directly or by implication,omission, ambiguity or exaggeratedclaim, is likely to mislead the buyer,in particular with regard to the“safety” of the product, its nature,composition or suitability for use,official recognition or approval;

11.2.3 pesticides which are legally re-

stricted to use by trained or regis-tered operators are not publicly ad-vertised through journals otherthan those catering for such oper-ators, unless the restricted avail-ability is clearly and prominentlyshown;

11.2.4 no company or individual in anyone country simultaneouslymarkets different pesticide ac-tive ingredients or combinationsof ingredients under a singlebrand name;

11.2.5 advertising does not encourageuses other than those specified onthe approved label;

11.2.6 promotional material does not in-clude recommendations at vari-ance with national regulatory de-cisions;

11.2.7 advertisements do not misrepre-sent research results, quotationsfrom technical and scientific litera-ture or scientific jargon to makeclaims appear to have a scientificbasis they do not possess;

11.2.8 claims as to safety, including state-ments such as “safe”, “non-poi-

Article 11Advertising

27

sonous”, “harmless”, “non-toxic”,“environmentally friendly” or “com-patible with IPM/ IVM,” are notmade on labels, pamphlets or otherpublicity material, with or withouta qualifying phrase such as “whenused as directed”. [However, refer-ence to use within specifiedIPM/IVM programmes may be in-cluded if validated by the regulatingauthority, and the claim is qualifiedaccordingly];

11.2.9 statements comparing the risk,hazard or “safety” of different pes-ticides or other substances are notmade;

11.2.10 no misleading statements are madeconcerning the effectiveness of theproduct;

11.2.11 no guarantees or implied guaran-tees, such as “more profits with...”or “guarantees high yields,” aregiven unless definite evidence tosubstantiate such claims is avail-able;

11.2.12 advertisements do not contain anyvisual representation of potentiallydangerous practices, such as mix-ing or application without suffi-cient protective clothing, use nearfood or use by or in the vicinity ofchildren;

11.2.13 advertising or promotional mate-rial draws attention to the appro-priate warning phrases and sym-bols as laid down in the GHS andFAO/WHO labelling guidelines(3);

11.2.14 technical literature provides ade-quate information on correct prac-

tices, including the observance ofrecommended application rates,frequency of applications and pre-harvest intervals in language thatis understandable to end users;

11.2.15 false or misleading comparisonswith other pesticides are not made;

11.2.16 all staff involved in sales promotionare adequately trained and possesssufficient technical knowledge topresent complete, accurate andvalid information on the productsoffered for sale;

11.2.17 advertisements encourage pur-chasers and users to read the labelcarefully, or have the label read tothem if they cannot read;

11.2.18 advertisements and promotionalactivities should not include inap-propriate incentives or gifts to en-courage the purchase of pesticides.

11.3 International organizations andpublic interest groups should callattention to departures from thisArticle.

Article 11Advertising


12.1 The Code should be published byFAO, WHO and UNEP and should beobserved through collaborative ac-tion by all entities addressed by thisCode.

12.2 The Code should be brought to theattention of all concerned in the reg-ulation, manufacture, distributionand use of pesticides, so that gov-ernments, pesticide industry andother entities addressed by this Codethat are in a position to promotesustainable pest and vector man-agement practices, understand theirshared responsibilities in working to-gether to ensure that the objectivesof the Code are achieved.

12.3 All entities addressed by this Codeshould promote the principles andethics expressed by the Code, ir-respective of other entities’ abilityto observe the Code. Pesticide in-dustry should cooperate fully in theobservance of the Code and pro-mote the principles and ethics ex-pressed by the Code, irrespective

of a government’s ability to ob-serve the Code.

12.4 Independently of any measurestaken with respect to the obser-vance of this Code, all relevant legalrules, whether legislative, adminis-trative, judicial or customary, deal-ing with liability, consumer protec-tion, conservation, pollution controland other related subjects, shouldbe strictly applied.

12.5 Governments and other entitiesconcerned:

12.5.1 are encouraged to observe the pro-visions laid down in any relevant in-ternational instruments concerningchemical management, environ-mental and health protection, sus-tainable development and interna-tional trade, relevant to the Code(Annex 1);

12.5.2 are encouraged, if they have not yetjoined, ratified or acceded to suchinstruments, to evaluate the appro-priateness of so doing as soon aspossible.

Article 12Monitoring and Observance of the Code

29

12.6 FAO, WHO, UNEP and other rele-vant international organizationsshould give full support to the ob-servance of the Code.

12.7 Governments, in collaboration withFAO WHO and UNEP, should moni-tor the observance of the Code andreport on progress made to the Di-rectors-General of FAO and WHOand the Executive Director ofUNEP(56).

12.8 Pesticide industry is invited to pro-vide reports to Directors-General ofFAO and WHO and the ExecutiveDirector of UNEP on its productstewardship activities related to ob-servance of the Code(56).

12.9 NGOs and other interested entitiesare invited to monitor activities re-lated to the implementation of theCode and report these to Directors-General of FAO and WHO and theExecutive Director of UNEP(56).

12.10 Governing Bodies of FAO, WHO andUNEP should periodically review therelevance and effectiveness of theCode. The Code should be consid-ered a dynamic text which must bebrought up to date as required, tak-ing into account technical, economicand social progress.

Article 12Monitoring and Observance of the Code

31

International policy instruments whichaddress one or more aspects of the life-cycle of a pesticide include, but are notlimited to, the ones listed below. Somehave direct operational implications forpesticide distribution and use, while oth-ers provide a more general policy context.Dates of entry into force are given forthose instruments that were legallybinding at the time of adoption of the re-vision of this Code.

A. International policy instrumentswith direct operational implicationsfor pesticide management

• The Codex Alimentarius, and morespecifically the Codex Committee onPesticide Residues, operational since1966(57).

• The Montreal Protocol on Substancesthat Deplete the Ozone Layer, adoptedin 1987 and entered into force in1989, and its subsequent amend-ments(58).

• The Basel Convention on the Control ofTransboundary Movements of Haz-ardous Wastes and their Disposal,adopted in 1989 and entered into

force in 1992(52).• The Rotterdam Convention on the Prior

Informed Consent Procedure for Cer-tain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesti-cides in International Trade, adoptedin 1998 and entered into force in2004(1).

• The Stockholm Convention on Persis-tent Organic Pollutants, adopted in2001 and entered into force in2004(59).

B. International policy instruments thatprovide a general policy context forpesticide management

• The Convention concerning Safety andHealth in Agriculture. ILO, adopted in2001 and entered into force in 2003(46).

• The Convention concerning Safety in theUse of Chemicals at Work, adopted in1990 and entered into force in 1993(60).

• Convention concerning the prohibitionand immediate action for the elimina-tion of the worst forms of child labour,ILO, Geneva, 1999.

• The Rio Declaration on Environment andDevelopment, proclaimed by the United

Annex 1

Annex 1International instruments in the field ofchemical management, environmental andhealth protection, sustainable developmentand international trade, relevant to the Code


Nations Conference on Environmentand Development in 1992(61).

• Agenda 21 – Global Programme of Ac-tion on Sustainable Development, andmore specifically chapters 14 (Pro-moting Sustainable Agriculture andRural Development) and 19 (Environ-mentally Sound Management of ToxicChemicals, Including Prevention of Ille-gal International Traffic in Toxic andDangerous Products), adopted in1992(62).

• The Convention on Biological Diversity,adopted in 1992 and entered intoforce in 1993(63).

• The Convention concerning the Preven-tion of Major Industrial Accidents,

adopted in 1993 and entered intoforce in 1997(64).

• The Rome Declaration on World Food Se-curity and The World Food Summit Planof Action, adopted in 1996(65);

• The World Health Declaration andHealth-for-all in the 21st Century,adopted in 1998(66).

• The Strategic Approach to InternationalChemicals Management, adopted in2006 by the International Conference onChemicals Management(67).

• The Globally harmonised system forthe classification and labelling ofchemicals (GHS)(45).

33

1 Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals andPesticides in International Trade. FAO/UNEP, Rome/Geneva. 1998. [further information and text at: http://www.pic.int ]

2 Guidelines for legislation on the control of pesticides. FAO, Rome. 1989. [text at:http://www.fao.org/agriculture/crops/core-themes/theme/pests/pm/code/guidelines/en/]

3 Guidelines on good labelling practice for pesticides. FAO, Rome. 1995. [text at:http://www.fao.org/agriculture/crops/core-themes/theme/pests/pm/code/guidelines/en/]

4 Provisional guidelines on tender procedures for the procurement of pesticides. FAO, Rome. 1994. [text at: http://www.fao.org/agriculture/crops/core-themes/theme/pests/pm/code/guidelines/en/]

5 Guidelines for procuring public health pesticides. WHO, Geneva, 2012 text at:http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2012/9789241503426_eng.pdf]

6 Guidelines on personal protection when using pesticides in hot climates. FAO, Rome. 1990. [text at: http://www.fao.org/agriculture/crops/core-themes/theme/pests/pm/code/guidelines/en/]

7 Guidelines on good practice for ground application of pesticides. FAO, Rome. 2001. [text at:http://www.fao.org/agriculture/crops/core-themes/theme/pests/pm/code/guidelines/en/]

8 Guidelines on good practice for aerial application of pesticides. FAO, Rome. 2001. [text at:http://www.fao.org/agriculture/crops/core-themes/theme/pests/pm/code/guidelines/en/]

9 Pesticides and their application for the control of vectors and pests of public health importance. 6th edition. WHO, Geneva. 2006 [text at:http://www.who.int/whopes/recommendations/who_fao_guidelines/en/index.html]

10 Space spray application of insecticides for vector and public health pest control - A practitioner’s guide.WHO, Geneva. 2003 [text at:http://www.who.int/whopes/recommendations/who_fao_guidelines/en/index.html]

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