1.7 Pesticide Recordkeeping/Reporting

1.7.1 New York State Requirements

Manufacturers and importers. The NYSDEC requires annual reports from manufacturers and importers documenting all restricted-use product sales within the state. These records include the EPA registration number, container size, and number of containers sold to New York purchasers. Records need to be maintained for at least three years.

 

Commercial applicators. The NYSDEC requires annual reports from commercial applicators about their pesticide use. Annual reports include the EPA registration number, product name, quantity of pesticide used, date applied, and location of application by address (including 5-digit zip code).

 

Commercial applicators must also maintain corresponding records of the dosage rates, methods of application, and target organisms. These records need to be maintained annually, retained for at least three years, and be made available for inspection on request by the NYSDEC.

 

Reporting at point of sale. The NYSDEC requires every person who sells or offers for sale restricted-use pesticides to private applicators to report annually each sale of a restricted-use pesticide or general-use pesticide used in agricultural crop production to such applicator, including: EPA registration number; product name of pesticide purchased; quantity purchased; date purchased; and location of intended application by address (including 5 digit zip code) or if address is unavailable, by town or city (including 5 digit zip code).

 

Recordkeeping by private applicators. New York State regulations require private applicators to maintain restricted-use pesticide records. These records need to include, at a minimum, the restricted-use pesticide(s) purchased; crop treated; application method, and date(s) of application(s). These records need to be retained for at least three years and must be made available for inspection by the NYSDEC upon request.

 

For more information on New York State reporting and recordkeeping requirements, contact the NYSDEC at 518-402-8748 or visit the NYS DEC web site at: www.dec.ny. gov.

 

1.7.2 Federal Private Applicator Recordkeeping Requirements

Federal regulations require private applicators to keep records of the federally restricted-use pesticides they apply. Federally required records need to contain the following elements:

·         Applicator name;

·         Applicator certification number;

·         Month, day, and year of application;

·         EPA registration number for product applied;

·         Brand or product name of pesticide applied;

·         Crop, commodity, or site treated;

·         Size of area treated;

·         Total amount of pesticide product applied; and

·         Location of the application using any of the following:

­    County, range, township, and section;

­    Maps or written descriptions;

­    A USDA identification system, which involves maps and a numbering system to identify field locations; or

­    The legal property description.

 

Under the federal recordkeeping regulations, spot applications are applications of a restricted-use pesticide to less than 1/10 of an acre on the same day. Spot application records need to include: month/day/year of application; brand or product name of pesticide applied; EPA registration number; total amount of pesticide applied; and location of the application designated as a “spot treatment” with a brief description. NOTE: Spot treatments do not apply to nurseries or greenhouses. Applications at these locations need to be recorded as if they are a non-spot application.

 

Federally required records must be made within 14 days of the application and need to be maintained for 2 years following the application. Access to the record information is limited to: USDA-authorized representatives presenting identification; state-authorized representatives presenting identification; and attending licensed health care professionals (or those acting under their direction) when treating individuals who may have been exposed to a restricted-use pesticide.

 

More information on federal recordkeeping requirements can be found on-line at http://www.ams.usda. gov/pesticiderecords.