Rule of Agrochemicals

Standards and Reality : Are the standards being followed?

Some people may be concerned about whether the standards are followed. Therefore, we introduce about a prevention diary.

Currently, various effects are done by organizations to protect the standards. A prevention diary is one of them.
It was created to send messages of safety of crops to ordinary people through recording agrochemicals that farmers used. 
It is recorded name of using agrochemicals, quantity, concentration, and so on. Everyone can read it from the home page of the agricultural cooperative.

At present, agricultural cooperative or city halls appeal to farmers to write on it.

This effort is making some positive results gaining farmer’s cooperation.  Nevertheless, it is difficult to confirm that all farms protect the standards by this. 

However, it helps farmers to prevent overuse of agrochemicals and show the safety of crops.
For consumers, they can check the growing process, so a feeling of security maybe increased.

How to Check The Safety of Crops

These efforts are not only done by farmers on their own like prevention diary.
Governments also have systems to keep watch the way of using them.

About 4,700 farmers are chosen once a year. These farmers are inspected by staffs of Regional Agricultural Administration Offices to check whether usage rules are protected.
Also, non-regulated farmers conducted on-site Inspections as needed.

Moreover, residual agrochemicals are inspected by prefectural public health center. The crops which exceed residue standards are collected and disposed of. It based on Food Sanitation Act. 

Then, Prefectural Agriculture Department surveys to know the cause of the excess. From the results obtained in this investigations, Prefectural Agriculture Department put under administrative guidance to the farmers.

〈Example of Examinations Conducted by Governments〉

・The results of investigation on the use of agrochemicals in agricultural
products produced in Japan and the residue status in 2017(by Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries)

Reference Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
[The results of the investigation on the use of agrochemicals in agricultural products produced in Japan and the residue status] [website]

Retrieved from
http://www.maff.go.jp/j/nouyaku

・Test results such as pesticide residues in food in 2015(by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare)

Reference Labour and Welfare. [Test results such as pesticide residues in food in 2015] [website]

Retrieved from
https://www.mhlw.go.jp

In this way, Rules on agrochemicals used are set in Japan. Systems are established to keep crops safe , by efforts to monitor and protect them.