Inspection of sprayer in use in fruit-growing and tree-nursery
Adequate, well-maintained and calibrated application equipment are the key towards good quality crops, efficient application of pesticides and minimum impact on the environment. Therefore the inspection of air-assisted sprayers for bush and tree-crops is mandatory in the Netherlands since 2002. All air-assisted sprayers are since then tested every 2 (and later 3) years. The quality of the total population of sprayers has raised a lot since then. But the periodical is still very usefull, more as half of the inspected sprayers needs repairs before they can pass the inspection.
Since the implementation of the EU directive for a Sustainable use of Pesticides also the inspection of band-sprayers is mandatory.
A nation wide network of SKl recognized inspection workshops are ready to test the sprayers. These workshops have the right testing equipment and trained test-operators to perform the inspections in the right way.
SKL is supervising the workshops, checks their testing equipment on a yearly base and performed unexpected reviews on already inspected sprayers in order to guarantee the quality and uniformity of the performed inspections.
The workshops are mostly dealers of agricultural equipment, as a service they offer the inspection of sprayers. For the farmer it has the advantage that there is a one-stop-shopping concept. The defects that are detected during the inspection can be repaired directly, so the farmer can go home with an approved (and repaired sprayer).