International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management: Guidelines on Good Labelling Practice for Pesticides (Revised) August 2015

By Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

The guidelines have been brought in line with the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) for the Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS), and where the GHS allows for (national) interpretation of its provisions, these guidelines provide specific options relevant to pesticide labelling.

Technical Guidelines are issued to elaborate specific articles of the FAO & WHO International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management (the Code) and related technical aspects of pesticide management.

These guidelines are developed by the FAO/WHO Joint Meeting on Pesticide Management (JMPM)

This present, revised, version of the Guidelines on Good Labelling Practice for Pesticides targets pesticide regulatory authorities, primarily in developing countries and countries with economies in transition, which have to define or revise national pesticide labelling requirements. The guidelines aim also to assist pesticide registration authorities in reviewing the design and contents of (draft) pesticide labels. Other stakeholders, such as pesticide industry and civil society groups, may also find the guidelines useful for writing or evaluating pesticide labels.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
• Release date: Jun 11, 2018
• ISBN: 9789251306604

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

An intergovernmental organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has 194 Member Nations, two associate members and one member organization, the European Union. Its employees come from various cultural backgrounds and are experts in the multiple fields of activity FAO engages in. FAO’s staff capacity allows it to support improved governance inter alia, generate, develop and adapt existing tools and guidelines and provide targeted governance support as a resource to country and regional level FAO offices. Headquartered in Rome, Italy, FAO is present in over 130 countries.Founded in 1945, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO provides a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and debate policy. The Organization publishes authoritative publications on agriculture, fisheries, forestry and nutrition.

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The Inter-Organisation Programme for the Sound Management of Chemicals (IOMC) was established in 1995 following recommendations made by the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development to strengthen cooperation and increase international coordination in the field of chemical safety. The participating organizations are the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) are observers. The purpose of the IOMC is to promote coordination of the policies and activities pursued by the participating organizations, jointly or separately, to achieve the sound management of chemicals in relation to human health and the environment.

This publication was developed in the IOMC context. The contents do not necessarily reflect the views or stated policies of individual IOMC participating organizations.

This work was originally published online by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and World Health Organization in English as International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management - Guidelines on Good Labelling Practice for Pesticides (revised), September 2015 and it is available at http://www.fao.org/3/a-i4854e.pdf

The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) or of the World Health Organization (WHO) concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Dotted lines on maps represent approximate border lines for which there may not yet be full agreement. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these are or have been endorsed or recommended by FAO or WHO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. Errors and omissions excepted, the names of proprietary products are distinguished by initial capital letters. All reasonable precautions have been taken by FAO and WHO to verify the information contained in this publication. However, the published material is being distributed without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied. The responsibility for the interpretation and use of the material lies with the reader. In no event shall FAO and WHO be liable for damages arising from its use.

The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of FAO or WHO.

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ISBN 978-92-5-109413-6 (Print)

E-ISBN 978-92-5-130660-4 (EPUB)

© FAO and WHO, 2016

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Table of Contents

ABBREVIATIONS

DEFINITIONS

1.INTRODUCTION

1.1ABOUT THESE GUIDELINES

1.2SCOPE

1.3WHAT IS A LABEL?

1.4PURPOSE OF THE PESTICIDE LABEL

1.5RESPONSIBILITIES REGARDING LABELLING

1.6THE IMPORTANCE OF CLEAR AND ACCURATE LABELS

1.7COMPREHENSIBILITY AND COMPREHENSIVENESS OF LABEL CONTENT

2.THE GLOBALLY HARMONIZED SYSTEM OF CLASSIFICATION AND LABELLING OF CHEMICALS (GHS)

2.1BACKGROUND

2.2ELEMENTS OF THE GHS

3.LABEL CONTENT

3.1PRODUCT CONTENT INFORMATION

3.2HAZARD AND SAFETY INFORMATION

3.3DIRECTIONS FOR USE

3.4SUPPLIER IDENTIFICATION

3.5OTHER INFORMATION

3.6LABEL CONTENT AND PRODUCT/USER CATEGORY

4.HOW TO WRITE AND REVIEW A LABEL

4.1LABEL LAYOUT

4.1.1General

4.1.2Three panel layout

4.1.3Two panel layout

4.1.4Single panel layout

4.1.5Labels for small packs/supplementary leaflets

4.1.6Label for pre-measured packs and twin/multi-packs

4.1.7Dual or multi-language labels

4.2STYLE AND FORMAT OF TEXT

4.2.1Style and wording

4.2.2Print size and style

4.2.3Effective use of space

4.3USE OF COLOUR

4.4SIGNAL WORDS AND HAZARD STATEMENTS

4.5PRECAUTIONARY STATEMENTS AND WARNINGS

4.6USE OF SYMBOLS, PICTOGRAMS AND ILLUSTRATIONS

4.6.1Hazard symbol pictograms

4.6.2Precautionary pictograms

4.6.3Illustrations

4.7COLOUR BANDS

4.8TACTILE WARNINGS

4.9FIRST AID AND MEDICAL ADVICE

4.10ACCIDENTAL SPILLS ADVICE

4.11DIRECTIONS FOR USE

4.12USE OF POSITIVE STATEMENTS ON LABELS

4.13AVOIDING MISLEADING STATEMENTS OR CLAIMS

4.14SPECIAL PURPOSE LABELS

4.14.1Bulk material labelling

4.14.2Chemically treated seeds

4.14.3Water-soluble bags

4.14.4Insecticides for treatment of mosquito nets

4.14.5Insecticide treated mosquito nets

4.15HOW TO CHECK A LABEL

5.HAZARD CLASSIFICATION

5.1INTRODUCTION

5.2HAZARD CLASSIFICATION AND RISK ASSESSMENT

5.3PHYSICAL HAZARDS

5.4HEALTH HAZARDS

5.4.1GHS hazard classification

5.4.2WHO hazard classification

5.4.3Transition from WHO to GHS

5.5ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS

6.INFORMATION, TRAINING AND COMPLIANCE

REFERENCES

ANNEX 1 – PRINT SIZE AND STYLE GUIDE

ANNEX 2 – EXAMPLES OF PRECAUTIONARY STATEMENTS

ANNEX 3 – HAZARD COLOUR BANDS

ANNEX 4 – USING PRECAUTIONARY PICTOGRAMS

ANNEX 5 – SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION ON PICTOGRAMS

Abbreviations

a.i. active ingredient

cfu colony forming unit

FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

ggram

GAP Good Agricultural Practice

GHS Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals

GIFAP Groupement International des Associations Nationales des Fabricants de Produits Agrochimiques (now CropLife International)

IPM Integrated Pest Management

IVM Integrated Vector Management

ISO International Standards Organization

ITU International Toxic Unit

IUPAC International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry

kg kilogram

Llitre

LLIN Long-Lasting Insecticidal Net

mg milligram

MOA Mode of Action

OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and