Republic of Latvia

Cabinet

Regulation No. 315

Adopted 7 September 1999

Issued pursuant to
Section 5, Clause 5; Section 8, Paragraph six; Section 9, Paragraph two; and Section 10, Paragraph two of the Plant Protection Law

I. General Provisions

1. These Regulations determine the distribution, storage and use of plant protection products, the criteria to be set for sales points, the duties and rights of persons, as well as the procedures and control of circulation of plant protection products.

2. Inspectors of the State Plant Protection Service shall ensure the monitoring and control of compliance with these Regulations.

3. Distribution of plant protection products consists of the following stages of handling:

3.1. importation (import);

3.2. sale; and

3.3. delivery, free or for a charge.

4. Importation of plant protection products shall be controlled by the Sanitary Border Inspection at border control points or customs warehouses (depending on the location of customs clearance). Customs procedures may be effected only after the control referred to.

5. Plant protection products which are not registered, except in cases referred to in Section 7, Paragraph two of the Plant Protection Law, or which do not have manufacturer’s labelling in the Latvian language, shall be sent back to the exporting state.

6. Within seven days of the importation of a plant protection product, the importer shall submit to the State Plant Protection Service a quality certificate for the plant protection product issued by the manufacturer.

7. It is prohibited for the distributor of plant protection products:

7.1. to distribute plant protection products to persons who are under 18 years of age;

7.2. to distribute plant protection products of registration class one and class two to persons who do not have a document attesting to the acquisition of basic knowledge regarding plant protection products (Annex 1);

7.3. to distribute plant protection products the packaging of which is damaged or without labelling, or if the labelling is illegible, damaged or with erasures; and

7.4. to pour plant protection products into other packaging.

8. The distributor of plant protection products shall give consultations regarding regulations on the use and storage conditions of a plant protection product, as well as regarding necessary safety measures.

9. Consultations referred to in Paragraph 8 of these Regulations shall be given by a distributor who has obtained a plant protection consultant certificate, issued by the State Plant Protection Service (Annex 2).

10. Plant protection products shall be located, sold and stored in specially outfitted sales points (shops, warehouses).

11. It is prohibited to sell plant protection products:

11.1. by utilising vending machines or self-serve systems; and

11.2. in trade fairs, exhibitions, mobile trade, street sales points, and markets.

12. At a sales point of plant protection products, it is prohibited to sell food products, animal feed and medicinal products (except when the plant protection products are located in a separate room).

13. Plant protection products at a sales point shall be stored separately from other goods in a locked cupboard or shelf. Volatile plant protection products may be stored only in premises with good ventilation.

14. Undertakings (companies) that import or distribute plant protection products shall register the plant protection products which have been received, are located at sales points, are damaged, or for which the expiry date has elapsed.

15. The distributor shall record plant protection products of registration class one and class two distributed to individual users in an inventory register of plant protection products distributed to users, indicating the given name, surname, certificate number (Annex 1) of the purchaser, the name and amount of the plant protection product sold.

16. The individual user shall confirm the information recorded in the register with his or her signature.

17. In transactions for which bill of lading invoices are utilised, the registration referred to in Paragraph 15 of these Regulations may be done by computer.

18. At the end of each calendar year, the distributor shall make an inventory of the plant protection products, check their packaging and the expiry dates.

19. The distributor of plant protection products shall ensure the possibility for inspectors of the State Plant Protection Service to inspect the inventory data referred to in these Regulations, as well as to inspect sales points and places of storage.

20. Plant protection products shall be stored in a specially equipped part of the sales point (hereinafter – storage place) in compliance with the storage conditions and temperature regimen specified by the manufacturer of the plant protection product.

21. It is prohibited to utilise cellars and fuel warehouses, as well as living or administrative premises, as storage places for plant protection products.

22. Plant protection products of registration class one and class two shall be unloaded and moved in the storage place by at least two persons.

23. It is prohibited for unauthorised persons to be in the storage place.

24. It is prohibited to store food products, animal feed and medicinal products at the storage place.

25. Plant protection products of registration class one shall be stored in a separate locked and fireproof room.

26. If other goods are kept at the storage place together with plant protection products, the plant production products shall be isolated from the other goods or placed in lockable cupboards, ensuring adequate ventilation.

27. Plant protection products shall not be placed directly on the floor. Such products shall be placed on shelves (stands) or on pallets. Passages of at least one metre wide shall be left between rows of shelves or pallets. If plant protection products are placed on a shelf (with or without pallets), the height of the stack shall not exceed 2.5 metres. If plant protection products are placed with pallets on the floor, the height of the stack on one pallet shall not exceed 1.3 metres. If pallets of plant protection products are placed on top of each other, the total height of the stack shall not exceed 2.6 metres.

28. The storage place shall be outfitted in conformity with the following technical requirements:

28.1. the flooring shall be of waterproof material or concrete;

28.2. ventilation shall be installed with adequate air circulation without air conditioning; and

28.3. water pipes or special hand washing facilities shall be installed.

29. The storage place shall be outfitted in conformity with fire safety regulations.

32. The storage place shall be provided with personal protective equipment (for example, respirator, protective glasses, and gloves), absorbing substances and equipment that is necessary for rescue measures if plant protection products are spilled.

33. Clearly visible instructions shall be put up at the storage place regarding the provision of first aid, and the surname, address and telephone number of the person to be contacted if an accident or emergency has occurred.

34. Plant protection products shall be carried in their original, undamaged and labelled packaging.

35. It is prohibited to carry food products, animal feed and medicinal products in the same freight compartment as plant protection products.

36. Local and transit carriage of plant protection products shall be performed in accordance with regulatory enactments that relate to the carriage of dangerous goods.

37. It is the responsibility of the user of plant protection products to comply with the requirements set out in the text of the label.

38. Use of plant protection products shall be permitted only for the protection of such cultivated plants and only against such harmful organisms as are indicated on the label, strictly observing the indicated doses, stage of development of the cultivated plant or the harmful organism, number of treatments during a season, waiting period from the final treatment until harvesting of the crop, and restrictions with respect to protection of the health of humans and animals and protection of the environment.

39. The user of plant protection products of registration class one and class two shall register the treated cultivated plants, indicating the area treated, date of treatment, and name and dose of the plant protection product used.

40. It is prohibited for unauthorised persons to be in places where plant protection products are handled.

41. Plant protection products shall be stored in their original packaging under storage conditions specified by the manufacturer, in compliance with the requirements referred to in Section 9, Paragraph three of the Plant Protection Law.

42. When using plant protection products, it is prohibited to:

42.1. engage in the work persons less than 18 years of age, pregnant women and nursing mothers;

42.2. utilise damaged or unadjusted plant protection machines;

42.3. leave without supervision prepared working liquids and unused plant protection products;

42.4. combine or mix various plant protection products, unless such is indicated on the label; and

42.5. pour out the remaining working liquid intended for spraying (such shall be sprayed over the treated field, ten times diluted).

43. It is prohibited to utilise the packaging of the used plant protection products. Until disposal, such packaging shall be stored together with the plant protection products.

45. When using plant protection products for seed dressing, the following safety measures shall be complied with:

45.1. seeds shall be dressed in dressing equipment, or in specially outfitted premises or sites;

45.2. in open spaces, seeds may be dressed only if the wind speed does not exceed 3 m/s;

45.3. persons engaged in seed dressing shall use personal protective equipment;

45.5. after the seed dressing and completion of sowing, the place of dressing, the seed dressing equipment, the seeder, the seed delivery tubes and other equipment which has been in contact with dressed seeds, as well as personal protective equipment, shall be neutralised, observing the indications on the labelling of the relevant seed-dressing;

45.6. it is prohibited to use dressed seeds in food, to feed them to animals or birds, as well as to wash or clear them of the seed-dressing in order to use them for food or animal feed; and

45.7. dressed seeds may be transported to the place of sowing only in the packaging referred to in Sub-paragraph 45.4 of these Regulations, or in special seeder delivery tubes, as well as in the hoppers of seeders.

46. When using plant protection products for spraying of planted fields and plantations, the following safety measures shall be complied with:

46.1. plants may be sprayed if the wind speed does not exceed 4 m/s;

46.2. it is necessary to monitor the operation quality of the sprayer, as well as use of the preparation; and

46.3. when using portable sprayers, the workers shall be at a distance of five to six metres from each another, taking into account the direction of the wind.

47. When using an aerosol dispenser the following safety measures shall be complied with:

47.1. in open spaces an aerosol dispenser may be used if the wind speed does not exceed 2 m/s. An aerosol dispenser may be used in gardens or forests that are located at the lee side of buildings and animal shelters;

47.2. aerosol dispensers may be used indoors if hermetic closing of the premises is possible. The aerosol dispenser shall be placed at least 5m from the room to be treated, and the electric supply to such room shall be disconnected. At the end of the exposure period the premises shall be aired for 24 hours;

47.3. personnel shall be provided with personal protection equipment; and

47.4. it is prohibited to use open fire or to smoke.

Certificate No. ______________

Certificate valid until _________________________

Responsible official ___________________________
			(signature and full name)


Place for a seal




Acting for the Minister for Agriculture -
Minister for Environmental Protection and Regional Development		V. Balodis

Annex 2
Cabinet Regulation No. 315
7 September 1999

Certificate valid until ________________________

Place for a seal

Certificate extended until ______________________

Place for a seal

Acting for the Minister for Agriculture -

Minister for Environmental Protection and Regional Development V. Balodis