Small Doses

Illegal use of pesticides 
A farmer who sprayed his crops with illegal pesticides has been fined at total of £220,000 after he admitted breaching the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH) and Safety at Work Regulations.
    Colin Boswell, a sweet corn grower, sprayed Liquid Gaucho, Aztec and Cap-solane, none of which is approved for such use, on crops at his farm in the Isle of Wight, off the south coast of England.
    He also used the organophosphate insecticide Metaphor before it was licenced for use.
    At Portsmouth Crown Court, Judge David Selwood said that if the fines were not paid within 14 days, a three year prison sentence could be imposed. The offences were conducted over a prolonged period and demonstrated a disregard for health and safety, the judge added.

www.bbc.co.uk; Daily Telegraph, 5 June 1999.

Fine for dog poisoning
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) prosecuted a farming company under the Food and Environment Protection Act (1985), at Cambridge Magistrate Court on 5 July 1999 for failing to follow the conditions of approval of a pesticide and not taking all reasonable precautions to protect the health of animals.

MAFF press release, 5 August 1999.

[This article first appeared in Pesticides News No.45, September 1999, page 21]