The status of pesticide application equipment and the possibility of applying European standards and regulations

The research in this paper was conducted in the western part of the Republic of Srpska, located in the northwest of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This region is characterized by intensive agricultural production, with increasing investments in viticulture and fruit growing in recent years. As a candidate country for the accession to the European Union, Bosnia and Herzegovina must harmonize its legal regulations with the European standards. Compliance with these standards includes the introduction of legal inspection of machinery and equipment for pesticide application. The aim of the research was to collect data (brand, model, age, technical condition, etc.) on the machinery and equipment for pesticide application, as well as to gather basic data on the operators of these machines (education, basic knowledge, participation in training for safe and proper adjustment of these machines, etc.). The study was conducted as part of regular inspection activities, certification, and calibration of pesticide application equipment, which the Faculty of Agriculture performs every year before the start of the protection season. The research involved the inspection and examination of 76 pesticide application devices - sprayers. Of the total number of inspected devices, the largest deviations were recorded during the inspection of sprayers (34%), pressure gauges (16%), and pump capacity (9%).