My call to the spray complaints unit

I called the Spray Complaints Unit in Tasmania today and spoke to Peter Lee Archer. I asked a number of questions related to the regulatory environment for aerial spraying.

The questions and answers are below:

BR: What happens when a helicopter turns up and begins spraying 100, 200, 300, 400 metres away from your residence and the drift of chemical is over the top of your house?

Mr Archer: Well, what we do would be determined by whether there was any adverse event.

BR: What is an adverse event?

Mr Archer: Don’t know. There’s no definition of it in the Agricultural and Veterinary Medicines Control of Use Act, with respect to people. It depends, I suppose on how much spray there is. Maybe we might have to seek a doctor’s opinion.

BR: Have you sought a doctor’s opinion after a spray event?

Mr Archer: No.

BR: Are you aware of anyone from your department ever seeking a doctor’s opinion after a spray incident?

Mr Archer: No

BR: Well, Dr Alison Bleaney indicated that there were likely to be adverse events from current aerial spraying operations in Tasmania. What has happened as a result of that?

Mr Archer: Don’t know. Maybe you’d like to speak to the Chemicals Registrar about that?

BR: How do you determine how much spray there is?

Mr Archer: I’m not sure. Do you want to speak to the …

BR: What current limit is there on the height of an aircraft engaged in aerial spraying operations?

Mr Archer: None.

Mr Archer: What information do you want?

BR: Long list including the details of the spray drift risk assessment promised by David Loschke from the APVMA. Especially in respect to Forestry Tasmania spraying on top of a West Calder Hill approx 100 metres from two households and upwind from the rest of the community, 60 feet above the canopy etc, etc.

Mr Archer: I’ll ask the Chemicals Registrar to phone you.