Pesticide licence in Tasmania: categories, exam and renewal

This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. The source is the AgVet Chemicals Program of the Tasmanian Department of Natural Resources and Environment, which administers the Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals (Control of Use) Act 1995. The parent page, pesticide licences by country, has the national background.

At a glance

Item	What the department says
Agency	Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania, AgVet Chemicals Program
Credentials for work for hire	Commercial Operator Licence for the business, issued to the owner or operator, plus a Certificate of Competency for each person who applies chemicals
Category for trees and turf	Category 2 (hand held equipment, larger volumes) or Category 3 (motorised equipment such as boom spray or airblast); Category 1 covers hand held, small volumes
Exam	No state exam described; the certificate follows recognised accredited training that includes units AHCCHM307 and AHCCHM304
Certificate fee	AU$78.40 for Category 2 or 3; AU$98.00 for Pest Management Technician
Renewal	Not stated on the pages read
Insurance or bond	Not stated on the pages read
Reciprocity	Not stated on the pages read

Business licence

The department's ground spraying and pest management licences page says a business that provides a commercial spraying service must hold a Commercial Operator Licence. The list of covered services includes forestry spray contracting, roadside weed spraying and insect, disease or weed control in lawns and gardens. The licence applies to any business that uses agricultural chemical products to control pests and is paid for it. It acts as a business licence and goes to the individual who owns or operates the business. Working without one, or breaking its conditions, is an offence. The application form asks for the business details, the employees who apply chemicals, the chemical classes used and the application methods. An invoice follows once it is processed.

Small amount exemption

The same page says a business is exempt if it uses only a small amount of chemical product and the use is incidental to the main purpose of the business. Lawn mowing and garden maintenance is the department's example. It counts as a small amount when the products are registered, labelled and packaged for home garden use, such as 1 litre packs of glyphosate or 500 millilitre packs of pyrethrum insecticide. The form's information sheet adds that the products must be bought, stored and handled in the containers sold for home garden use.

Certificate of Competency categories

A person who applies agricultural chemical products for a commercial spraying business must hold a Certificate of Competency relevant to the work. The page lists Category 1 hand held equipment with small volumes, Category 2 hand held equipment with larger volumes of herbicides and insecticides and vertebrate pest poisons, Category 3 motorised equipment such as boom spray and airblast, Pest Management Technician and Methyl Bromide or Phosphine User. A certificate names the work allowed, for example weed control in forestry and non-cropping situations. The page lists no category named for ornamental or shade trees.

Training and fees

To qualify for Category 2 or 3 the page asks for a recognised course in agvet chemical use that includes AHCCHM307, preparing and applying chemicals to control pests, weeds and diseases, and AHCCHM304, transporting and storing chemicals. These are units from the agriculture, horticulture and conservation training package, delivered by registered training organisations. According to the certificate application form, the fee is AU$78.40 for Category 2 or 3 and AU$98.00 for a Pest Management Technician, and the form asks for chemical classes, equipment and training details with a ChemCert or equivalent record.

Employees and exemptions

A new or casual employee of a Commercial Operator may spray for up to 4 weeks before getting a certificate, under the direct supervision of a certified operator. A person who applies chemicals only on the employer's own property, like a farm hand or council worker, may not need a certificate.