Food and feed hygiene for farmers and growers

'Pesticide' is a broad term, covering a range of plant protection products (PPPs) that are used to control pests. They include:

• insect killers - insecticides
• mould and fungi killers - fungicides
• weedkillers - herbicides
• slug pellets - molluscicides
• rat and mouse killers - rodenticides

Farmers and growers use pesticides to protect crops while growing and during storage. This helps safeguard human health and prevents food from becoming contaminated by fungi, mice, flies or other insects.

Legal controls on pesticides to protect health and environment

Legal controls ensure that pesticides do not harm human health, wildlife or the environment.

Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) set the highest amount of pesticide residue allowed in food after treatment. Food businesses must ensure that the food they produce or import complies with MRL requirements and pesticide legislation. 

Pesticide enforcement

In Northern Ireland, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) is responsible for ensuring the safe use of pesticides to protect the health of people and the environment. 

If you produce, import, store, sell or use pesticides in Northern Ireland, you must register annually as a pesticide operator with DAERA. DAERA defines pesticide operators as anyone handling plant protection products in agriculture, horticulture or amenity settings.

You also need an approved Certificate of Competence before applying professional pesticides. This covers training and assessment for a range of pesticide application methods. You can renew certificates every five years through providers such as CAFRE.

Read more about operator responsibilities regarding pesticides.

Pesticide record-keeping rules

You must keep records of the pesticides (or plant protection products) you produce, import, export, store or sell for five years. Professional users must keep records of products used for three years.

Records must show the product name, application time and dose, plus the crop and area treated. DAERA may inspect these records.

From 1 January 2026, professional users must follow new rules on record content and format. These rules require you to record promptly after each application:

• product authorisation number (MAPP)
• EPPO codes for crop/land (standardised plant names)
• BBCH codes for growth stage (eg 30-39 = stem elongation)
• plus existing requirements (product name, time, dose, area treated)

DAERA will not penalise missing new content details during the 2026 grace period. Use this time to update systems, train staff and access guidance. You must continue to meet existing legal requirements on record-keeping during this period.

From 1 January 2027, records must be digital/machine-readable.

See DAERA guidance on new plant protection product record-keeping requirements.