Regulatory requirements for the use of professional plant protection products require users to hold a specified certificate (demonstrating sufficient knowledge of safe and sustainable use) issued by an officially designated awarding body.

The BPCA Fumigation Diploma has been accepted for many years as the only viable qualification for invertebrate fumigation and is currently held by all practising fumigators in the UK. However, the BPCA fumigation qualification is a certificate issued by the trade association for the sector, and not by an officially designated awarding body. It would not, therefore, be deemed to be a specified certificate from the 26th November 2015. We have been able to demonstrate that the qualification covers the subjects required to demonstrate that users have sufficient knowledge to work safely and sustainably in this highly specialised discipline.

We have been working hard with the authorities to gain their acceptance of this qualification and minimise the burden of the incoming legislation as much as possible; we have come to an arrangement which addresses the immediate issue.

BASIS (Registration) Ltd have agreed to adopt the BPCA qualification as part of their training suite. As BASIS are an officially designating awarding body operators who hold the BPCA diploma and relevant modules will be able to continue fumigating under plant protection requirements after the 26th of November 2015.

It will be necessary to review this arrangement in the medium term and will obviously keep the industry informed as matters progress. In the meantime, we can confirm to fumigators and store keepers that it will be business as usual after the 26th November and we are confident a sensible, pragmatic and sustainable resolution will soon be achieved regarding the longer term approval of the qualification.

Source: BPCA.org.uk