On the first of July 2015 new regulations come into force as a result of the decisions arising from the EPA Reassessment of organophosphates and carbamates. The most important of these with regard to cymbidium growers in New Zealand is the banning of wet spraying in-doors and compulsory signage on growing shed entrances when and immediately after these chemicals have been applied.
A draft sign has been designed by the EPA and is shown in a number of their extension leaflets on the new restrictions. A sign is required for each shed entrance and they may only be displayed during spraying and for three days after the safe re-entry period has expired. As a result, growers will need a number of signs but they will only be on display and exposed to the elements for relatively short periods. As such, the signs do not need to be very durable in terms of ultra-violet ray protection. They need to be quite large as the writing has to be visible from at least ten metres. They also need to be able to be written on with marker pen so that specific information relevant to each spray application can be included on the sign. One relatively cheap way to make the signs is to print them on A3 card and laminate them. To this end a master A4 sign has been made which can be photocopied onto A3. For completeness a summary of the new regulations, as they affect in-door growers, has been prepared on two sheets of A4 which can be photocopied onto the reverse of the sign. The following two links contain the relevant Word files.
Organophosphate Hazard Warning Sign
Organophosphate Notes
