Co-op Pesticide CoP: (Intro 3 of 3)

Eight Steps to Put Code into Practice

You are going to follow a series of steps to identify what you can do to help reduce pesticide use and ensure you and your growers comply with Co-operative requirements.

Step 1 Help with keeping up with regulations and legal requirements

Step 2 Put the policies you need to have in place

Step 3 Check your grower approval procedures meet Co-op requirements

Step 4 Miinimise risks to employees, produce, and consumers.

Step 5 Determine analysis programme and lab needs

Step 6. Carry out grower audit

Step 7 Watch out for New and high risk purchases

Step 8 Set your priorities to improve traceability, reduce pesticide use and residues in produce

At each step you will enter responses in our online database. Your findings will be forwarded electronically to the Co-operative Retail Group and used to identify where support is most needed. In the longer term we hope to build up examples of good pesticide practice. You can see the steps in the left hand column to navigate through the programme.

Before you begin you need to determine where you are in the supply chain....

WHERE ARE YOU IN THE PESTICIDE CHAIN?

Suppliers/Packers to Retail & Raw Material Suppliers: People who arrange for supply of produce (from Farm Gate) to Co-operative and or to Ready Meals Suppliers
Ready Meals Suppliers: People who gather produce and prepare food for Co-operative
Growers: People who grow and harvest produce - to Farm Gate
Agronomists: People who advise and support growers to comply with Co-operative Criteria

Knowing your position in the chain helps you to see how you relate with our questions.