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?
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 registrar.
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.
