Reporting chemical spray drift
Several Queensland Government agencies are responsible for dealing with agricultural chemical misuse and spray drift incidents, depending on the nature of the incident. See who to report chemical spray drift to for a guide to choosing the right agency for your enquiry.
Information you need to provide
When reporting incidents to a government agency, provide as much information as you can, including:
- the date and time
- where the incident occurred
- the name and contact details of the user or operator (if known)
- how the agricultural chemical was applied (eg plane, boom spray)
- weather conditions on the day, particularly air temperature and wind speed and direction
- the name of the agricultural chemical suspected (if known)
- if agricultural chemical misuse is suspected, the label instructions that may have been breached
- the effect from the incident (e.g. risk to crops, livestock, health, environment effects).
Providing as much detail as possible in your initial contact greatly helps those investigating the incident.
Investigating spray drift complaints
The success of any government investigation depends on the:
- amount of information you provide to investigators when you lodge the complaint
- amount of evidence investigators gather to support a case for possible legal action
- willingness of eyewitnesses to provide reliable supporting accounts.
Investigations can be complex and may not always result in favourable outcomes to complainants.
If you are the affected party, you can opt to take private civil action through the court to try to recover any losses sustained from damage or injury caused by spray drift, rather than seek a government investigation.
Also consider...
- Learn more about use of agricultural and veterinary chemicals.