Farming Annex

What is this document about?

This annex contains additional binding content related to the implementation of the requirements in the Farming Chapter of the Rainforest Alliance Standards. This document includes:

• Additional details on requirement 4.6.1 on prohibited and obsolete agrochemicals.

• Additional details on requirement 4.6.2 on risk mitigation for pesticides and the policy on exceptional use of prohibited pesticides.

• Additional details on requirement 4.6.7 on aerial application of pesticides.

• Additional details on requirements 5.6.1 and 5.6.13 on occupational health and safety.

When and how to use this document?

This document offers Certificate Holders extra details on the Rainforest Alliance Standards and their implementation. Certificate Bodies can also use it to better understand the requirements.

Changes in update from v1.1 to v1.2

1. Pesticide Management

This document includes additional information related to pesticide management and handling linked to requirements 4.6.1, 4.6.2, 4.6.7, 5.6.1, and 5.6.13.  This annex covers the use of pesticides in agricultural and post-harvest processes by or for the producer.

1.1 Lists of Pesticides within the context of IPM

This document contains the lists of Prohibited, Obsolete, and Risk Mitigation pesticides mentioned in base requirements 4.6.1 and 4.6.2 of the Rainforest Alliance Standards:

Certified farms are strictly prohibited from using Prohibited and Obsolete pesticides. These substances are either classified as Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs), posing significant risks to human health and the environment, or they are no longer formally registered, produced, or are widely banned.

The use of the Risk Mitigation pesticides is discouraged, and producers should strive to avoid the use of these pesticides as they are known to bear significant human health and environmental risks. These substances should only be applied within the context of an IPM strategy, and only when the related risk mitigation measures to protect people and the environment are fully implemented.

2. Health and Safety

Handling pesticides poses a health risk for workers. Compliance with requirements 5.6.1 and 5.6.13 is crucial for preventing and mitigating these risks.

Under specialized requirement 5.6.13 of the Rainforest Alliance Standards, management must ensure that workers handling hazardous agrochemicals have an annual medical examination. These medical records must be kept confidential, and workers must have access.

Workers handling organophosphates and carbamate pesticides must undergo pre-exposure cholinesterase baseline testing along with periodic monitoring and testing, following medical guidelines. Workers must be informed of the test results in private.

If adverse health effects occur, as per base requirement 5.6.1 of the Rainforest Alliance Standards, management must promptly mitigate the risk of other personnel being impacted. Management must implement remediation actions based on medical recommendations, such as temporarily reassigning tasks and providing necessary medical assistance to affected workers. These actions should be taken at no cost to the worker and without affecting their remuneration. This approach underscores the importance of maintaining the health and safety of those handling pesticides.

Organophosphates and carbamates can inhibit cholinesterase enzymes, causing similar symptoms in both acute and chronic exposures. Exposure can occur through various routes in the same individual due to multiple uses, and there is a possibility of additional toxicity with concurrent exposure to organophosphates.

2.1 List of Organophosphates and Carbamate pesticides

3. Exceptional use Procedures

To support producers phasing out Highly Hazardous Pesticides, under exceptional circumstances, exceptions can be granted for the use of active ingredients included in the Rainforest Alliance list of Prohibited pesticides. Exceptions can be granted for specific crop/pest and geographical scope (country or part of the country).

3.1 Exceptional Use Policy

The granted exceptions and conditions of each request for using prohibited pesticides are included in the Exceptional Use Policy linked to base requirement 4.6.2 of the Rainforest Alliance Standards. Producers do not need to get additional approval to use an exception that is already included in the Exceptional Use Policy.

When exceptions are granted, these are granted for a specific, limited period. In cases where this is not realistic, Rainforest Alliance may choose a different timeframe. Following an evaluation by the Rainforest Alliance's technical IPM team, any granted exceptions will be incorporated into the Exceptional Use Policy. This policy will be revised and published biannually following the procedure outlined below.

1. The Certificate Holder submits an official application to use a prohibited active ingredient through the Requests for Exceptional Use of Pesticides form.

2. Requests received until June 30^th each year will be evaluated during the second semester of the year, and requests received during the second semester, by December 31^st, will be evaluated the first semester of the following year.

3. The Rainforest Alliance will publish an updated version of the Exceptional Use Policy including the granted exceptions and their conditions in January and July every year.  

3.2 Emergency Exceptions

In the case where there is an urgent and temporary justifiable need to use a prohibited active ingredient not covered by the Exceptional Use Policy procedure, Certificate Holders can request an emergency exception. These exceptions are specific to each Certificate Holder, temporary, one-time, and non-extendable.  

For submitting an emergency request, Certificate Holders must fill this form for Emergency Requests for Exceptional Use of Pesticides with details of the necessity, context, and period in which the substance is needed.

The technical IPM team will evaluate the requests, and within a minimum of five business days, a response will be sent directly to the Certificate Holder. The response will inform the Certificate Holder whether the exception has been granted and outline any applicable conditions.

4. List of Prohibited Pesticides

The List of Prohibited Pesticides referred in base requirement 4.6.1 of the Rainforest Alliance Standards, is based on the FAO/WHO Guidelines for Highly Hazardous Pesticides^[1]. These guidelines include the definition of Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) following eight criteria. The Rainforest Alliance List of Prohibited Pesticides has eight columns that refer to each of these criteria.

1. WHO Category 1A Extremely hazardous for human health, or 1B Highly hazardous for human health - indicated in the table as Acute toxicity.

2. Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS), Known or presumed carcinogenic (Categories 1A and 1B)- indicated in the table as Chronic toxicity, carcinogenic column.

3. Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS), Known or presumed mutagenic (Categories 1A and 1B) - indicated in the table as Chronic toxicity, mutagenic column.

4. Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS), Known or presumed to be reproductive toxicant (Categories 1A and 1B) - indicated in the table as Chronic toxicity, reproductive toxicant column.

5. Montreal Protocol, Ozone-depleting substances - indicated in the table as International Convention, letter M.

6. Rotterdam convention (as contained in Annex III of the Convention and subject to the PIC procedure) - indicated in the table as International Convention, letter R.

7. Stockholm Convention, Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) - indicated in the table as International Convention, letter S.

8. Severe effects, pesticide’s active ingredients and formulations have shown a high incidence of severe or irreversible adverse effects on human health or the environment as interpreted by Rainforest Alliance - indicated in the table as Severe Effects.

Rainforest Alliance’s technical experts will regularly review the Rainforest Alliance List of Prohibited Pesticides. Pesticides added to the respective reference lists of the Montreal Protocol, Rotterdam Convention, Stockholm Convention, WHO (Class Ia or Ib), or GHS (carcinogenicity 1A/1B, mutagenicity 1A/1B, reproductive toxicity 1A/1B) will be included in a revised version of this list. New evidence of substances causing a high incidence of severe or irreversible harm to human health or the environment will also be considered for inclusion. A phase-out period will be defined for newly added substances to support farmers to find alternatives.

Please note that Carbosulfan, Fenthion, and Methoxychlor have been recommended for inclusion in the Rotterdam Convention (PIC) or for inclusion in the Stockholm Convention (POP). In the event that these substances are included in either convention, they will also be included in the Rainforest Alliance Prohibited List. Producers are urged to consider this, use alternative methods where possible, and phase out these pesticides in anticipation of the listing under these conventions.

Main use abbreviations: A: Acaricide, Ad: Adjuvant, Fun: Fungicide, Fum: Fumigant, H: Herbicide, I: Insecticide, N: Nematicide, R: Rodenticide, Wood Pres.: Wood preservation

5. List of Obsolete Pesticides

The below table includes the List of Obsolete Pesticides mentioned in base requirement 4.6.1 of the Rainforest Alliance Standards. These active ingredients are no longer formally registered or produced, or widely banned. These pesticides are listed because they may still be available in countries where Rainforest Alliance certified producers operate.

6. List of Risk Mitigation Pesticides

The Risk Mitigation list indicated in base requirement 4.6.2 of the Rainforest Alliance Standards is based on the work by the Oregon State University Integrated Plant Protection Center’s state-of-the-science risk assessment tool ipmPRiME and its latest results^[6]. The use of these substances is permitted only within the context of an IPM strategy and when the related risk mitigation measures as indicated below the table are fully implemented.

Abbreviations Main Use: A: Acaricide, Ad: Adjuvant, Fun: Fungicide, Fum: Fumigant, H: Herbicide, I: Insecticide, N: Nematicide, R: Rodenticide, Wood Pres.: Wood preservation

6.1 Risk mitigation measures required with the use of Risk Mitigation Pesticides

If substances from the Risk Mitigation Pesticides list are used, the following specific risk mitigation measures apply for the different risk categories:

1. Pesticides indicating higher-level personal protection required means that occupational exposure risk assessments have demonstrated potential for significant acute or chronic risks from exposure. Pesticides listed under Higher-level Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) are only applied if:

   1. PPE is used as prescribed in the product’s label or Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS). If labels do not provide details of PPE for applicators, basic protective clothing with protection for eyes (i.e., a face mask or goggles) and respiratory protection (i.e., a respirator) must be worn.

2. Pesticides listed as having risk to aquatic life or risk to terrestrial wildlife are only applied if:

   1. Mechanisms are established and maintained to avoid contamination by pesticides, through spray drift or other pathways, from treated areas to other non-targeted areas, including natural ecosystems, public roads, areas with human activity and infrastructure. Such mechanisms include non-crop vegetative barriers or non-application zones, or other effective methods.

3. Pesticides listed as having risk to pollinators are only applied if:

   1. Less toxic, efficacious pesticides are not available; and

   2. Exposure of natural ecosystems to pesticides is minimized by establishing non-application zones, or vegetative barriers; and

   3. Contact of pollinators with these substances is further reduced through:

      1. Substances are not applied to flowering weeds, or flowering weeds are removed; and

      2. Substances are not applied while the crop is in its peak flowering period.

         Not applicable to banana, cocoa, grapes, lemongrass, pineapple, psyllium, sugar cane, and tea.

4. Pesticides listed as having bystander risk have an increased inhalation risk and are only applied if:

   1. Restricted Entry Intervals (REI) are enforced; and

   2. All application sites are flagged to indicate inhalation risks to bystanders.

   3. Pesticide handlers are using respirators with an organic vapor (OV) cartridge or canister with any N, R, P, or 100-series filter.

Bystanders are defined as persons, other than farmworkers, pesticide handlers, or their families, who are exposed to pesticides by inhalation.

7. Requirements for Aerial Application

This section provides the requirements for application of pesticides with aerial piloted vehicles and drones to comply with base requirement 4.6.7 of the Rainforest Alliance Standards.

7.1 Aerial Application by piloted aerial vehicles

Aerial application of pesticides needs to comply with applicable law in the country of use, or the following Rainforest Alliance requirements, whichever is stricter, unless defined differently by the Rainforest Alliance. Please note that base requirement 1.2.1 of the standards specifies that in the case where such a law has become obsolete the requirement in the Standard will prevail. The Rainforest Alliance requirements for aerial application set out below may be adapted in future based on scientific evidence.

7.1.1 Requirements

1. Aerial application by helicopters, planes, or other piloted aerial vehicles that carry liquids for aerial application must be:

   1. Conducted by a competent technician,

   2. Consistent with MSDS and/or label instructions, rates, and precautions.

2. Aerial application by helicopters, planes, or other piloted aerial vehicle is prohibited in the following situations:

   1. Agrochemicals with WHO classification 1A Extremely hazardous for human health, and 1B Highly hazardous for human health.

   2. Aerial application of agrochemicals on areas outside the legal limits of the farm, including public roads^[7], areas with human activity^[8], animal farms, and natural ecosystems, which include aquatic ecosystems.

   3. Aerial application of agrochemicals when one of the following conditions occurs:

      1. Temperature exceeds 30° C.

      2. Wind speed exceeds 15km/h.

      3. There is an inversion phenomenon.

3. Equipment used for aerial application by helicopters, planes, or other piloted aerial vehicles must respect the following conditions:

   1. The aircraft is equipped with Global Positioning Systems (GPS), and with automatic shut-off valves connected to the GPS system or manual shut-off valves.

   2. The length of the application boom is at a maximum of 80% of the wing length.

   3. The application equipment is in optimal conditions according to its specifications.

   4. Application equipment is calibrated every six months by a competent technician and calibration records are kept.

4. Aerial application by helicopters, planes, or other piloted aerial vehicles respects the following requirements to protect human health and natural ecosystems:

   1. Visible signaling systems or effective warning mechanisms are implemented for the notification and protection of third parties. Including

      1. In the case of roads managed by the farm or group administrator, people that may be affected by the aerial application are identified and notified in advance.

      2. Access to the application areas is prohibited, roads in these areas are closed, and the corresponding re-entry periods are respected.

   2. A flight plan^[9] that mitigates negative impacts to the adjacent areas of the application area is designed. Agrochemicals are applied in the determined area within the flight plan, and the agrochemical non-application zones are respected. The flight altitude is a maximum of 5 meters above the crop or vegetative barriers canopy.

   3. Aerial drift to the adjacent areas is prevented through vegetative barriers or non-application zones. Agrochemical non-application zones are at a minimum:

      1. 30 meters wide next to public roads, areas with human activity, animal farms, and natural ecosystems (except rivers).

      2. In the case of rivers, a 15 meter non-application zone for each riverbank applies.

   4. In the case of applications over primary or secondary drains with permanent^[10] water:

      1. Drainage canals up to 6 meters in width are covered with vegetation.

      2. Wider drainage canals are lined by vegetation that covers the canals as much as possible (e.g., trees or any other type of vegetation) within three years after certification. Application over wider drains is avoided when possible.

      3. The planting and coverage of the drainage canals may be implemented in the first three years of certification, provided that in the first and second year, at least one-third of the canals are planted.

5. Each aerial application is documented with an operational report, including:

   1. Location of the property.

   2. Date and time of application (start and end time).

   3. Type of service performed and type of application equipment, including the width of the effective deposition range, model, prefix, and type of aircraft.

   4. Treated crop and area (in hectares) with a sketch of the area indicating its boundaries, barriers, roads, power grids, buildings, sensitive areas (areas with human activity and natural ecosystems), magnetic north, and geographic coordinates (at least one point).

   5. Applied agrochemicals, including label name, the active ingredient, concentration (volume per liter, mass per kg, or percentage of the active ingredient) for each product, and quantity of each product applied.

   6. Name(s) of the handlers of the agrochemicals.

   7. Flight and application parameters: height of the flight, weather conditions during application time, temperature range, wind speed, and direction.

   8. The direction of application ranges (shots); location of the flight track through georeferencing, specifying whether the application was performed with the Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS).

7.2 Aerial Application by drones

In addition to the above requirements for aerial application, the following requirements apply for drones and other Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). As the use of drones and the legal regulations are developing quickly, these requirements may be updated in the future.

7.2.1 Requirements

1. Aerial application of pesticides by drones follows all existing legislation in the country of application. This includes all legislation applicable to drones and/or UAVs in general, and to aerial application of pesticides by drones and/or UAVs in particular.

2. Drones used for the aerial application of agrochemicals are specifically designed and produced for the task of aerial application of chemicals. The drones have safety settings to avoid flying out of the area to be sprayed in case of loss of signal, including flying back to the pilot, hovering in place and/or coming down slowly vertically. The pilot follows all guidance from the producer of the drone, including maximum speeds.

3. Aerial application by drones is performed by licensed pilots who are trained specifically for this task by licensed trainers. Pilots must have at least 1 year of experience flying drones professionally, including at least 6 months, and/or 25 flying hours of experience flying drones designed for aerial application. Pilots carry out a minimum of 50 hours of flying per year with such drones.

4. Before the flight, the pilot receives written documentation of the chemical(s) used (brand name, active ingredient(s), concentration, and all health and environmental risks associated with the active ingredient(s) in that concentration).

5. The flight plan includes where and how to refill the containers.

6. Aerial drift to adjacent areas is prevented through vegetative barriers or non-application zones. Agrochemical non-application zones for drone application are at least 10 meters wide. Certificate Holders may request an exception from the Rainforest Alliance through their relevant Certification Bodies to reduce the non-application zones to 5 meters where they can provide evidence of the accuracy of drone application within these parameters. Exceptions must be requested and granted before the application occurs.  

7. Prior to the flight, the pilot is equipped with a procedure and tools for recovering the vehicle, cleaning up and storing chemicals, and alerting individuals potentially affected by the drone and any chemical spillage.

8. The pilot follows all guidance from the producer of the chemical(s) used, including not using a concentration higher than allowed.

9. More than one drone can be flown simultaneously, provided that the navigation systems and flight plans of the drones cannot interfere with each other. One pilot may operate up to three drones at the same time.

10. If aerial application of agrochemicals is conducted by a subcontractor, the farm owner is liable in case of any accidents or negative effects associated with the use of the drone and responsible for the mitigation of all damage related to it, unless otherwise agreed between the farm owner and subcontractor.

11. Certificate Holders need to keep records for at least five years of any accident involving drones used for aerial application and made them available upon request by the auditors or the Rainforest Alliance.

Other information

Date of first publication of this document (v 1.0): July 1^st, 2022.

Documents indicated as “binding” must be complied with for certification. Documents indicated as “non-binding” provide non-mandatory information to help readers understand and implement requirements and other binding content.

Translation Disclaimer

For any question related to the precise meaning of the information in a translation, consult the official English version for clarification. Any errors or differences in meaning due to translation are not binding and have no effect for auditing or certification purposes.

Reproduction, modification, distribution, or republication of this content is strictly forbidden without prior written consent from Rainforest Alliance.

More information?

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Footnotes

1. International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management, Guidelines on Highly Hazardous Pesticides, FAO/WHO, 2016. ↑

2. Bromoxynil and its esters (Bromoxynil butyrate, Bromoxynil heptanoate, and Bromoxynil octanoate) are moved from the Risk Mitigation List to the Prohibited List in Version 1.3, December 17, 2021, due to an update in the GHS Classification as Reproductive toxicant 1B. To facilitate implementation of this change, there is a phase-out period of a year, until December 17, 2022. ↑

3. Dimethomorph is added to the Prohibited List in Version 1.2, June 30, 2021, due to an update in the GHS Classification. To facilitate implementation of this change, there is a phase-out period of a year, until June 30, 2022. ↑

4. Mancozeb is moved from the Risk Mitigation List to the Prohibited List in Version 1.2, June 30, 2021, due to an update in the GHS Classification. To facilitate implementation of this change, there is a phase-out period of a year, until June 30, 2022. ↑

5. Thiacloprid is moved from the Risk Mitigation List to the Prohibited List in Version 1.2, June 30, 2021, due to an update in the GHS Classification. To facilitate implementation of this change, there is a phase-out period of a year, until June 30, 2022. ↑

6. Article ‘Selection of agrochemicals to reduce human and environmental health risks’ by Paul C. Jepson et al, Lancet Planet Health, Feb 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(19)30266-9↑

7. When available, the interpretation of this term and other terms related to roads will be based on the applicable legal definition. The purpose of the requirement is to ensure that persons are not being sprayed. This can be ensured by non-application zones along the roads or by closure of the roads. For roads in the farm area through which external persons pass by occasionally, either method may be chosen.  ↑

8. Areas where people can be present. ↑

9. Written statement including the key data of a planned flight including time, flight path, speed, height, weather conditions and other relevant aspects for a safe flight   ↑

10. Permanent water means the drains normally have water all year round. This may be interrupted by exceptional weather events like El Niño. ↑