THE PESTICIDE Control Authority (PCA) of the Ministry of Health has stepped up its vigilance in the monitoring of pest control companies and operators across the island, in a bid to ensure safety for consumers.
Chairman of the PCA, Dr. Peter Figueroa, says there is currently a continuous drive to license pest control operators and to date 50 of them have been approved.
Dr. Figueroa was speaking last week at the official signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the PCA and the HEART Trust/ NTA at the Corporate Offices of the HEART Trust in Kingston.
The PCA chairman said the MOU with HEART would help the authorities to reach thousands of farmers who use various types of pesticides on a regular basis. "We are optimistic that HEART with its established track record in training and certification across the island, will greatly assist us in reaching the farmers. This training will not only benefit the farming community, but also the consumers as well, in terms of safety concerns."
Dr. Figueroa noted that there were still many cases of poisoning as a result of the improper use and storage of pesticides. He says many children, in particular, had been affected resulting in hospitalisation, and even death in a few cases.
Vice chairman of the HEART Trust/NTA Dr. Rae Davis and Executive Director of the HEART Trust/NTA, Robert Gregory both said the MOU was critical as it would guarantee certification of persons to handle potentially dangerous materials.
Under the three-year agreement, the Ebony Park HEART Academy in Clarendon will implement the training programmes, which will target commercial pest control operators and farmers on an industry wide basis. The National Council on Technical Vocational Education and Training, NCTVET, will do certification.
The PCA will provide the licences under the Pesticides Control Act to the different categories of operatives within the industry on completion of the required training programme and continue to monitor the operations in the post-training period.
