Members of CropLife Zimbabwe accept certain responsibilities in respect of products they sell as Agricultural Chemicals and Animal Health Remedies (as defined in the Constitution) and for their conduct in research and development, importing, formulating, warehousing, marketing and distributing these products. This Code of Practice sets out these responsibilities.
The predominant responsibilities of Members are:-
- To uphold the Association’s membership of CropLife International by implementing the Code of Conduct laid down by WHO/FAO/CropLife International.
- To operate in accordance with and be bound by the WHO/FAO/CropLife International and IFAH International Codes of Conduct on the storage, distribution and use of Agricultural Chemicals and Animal Health Remedies. In the event of conflict between Zimbabwean law and these codes, the law will take preference.
- To provide service to all users of Agricultural Chemicals and Animal Health Remedies.
- To comply with the provisions of legislation and to co-operate with official bodies including Government and the Tobacco Research Board which operates the voluntary Tobacco Research Board Approval Scheme.
- To support the Association in all its endeavours and activities.
The Code of Practice will be administered and reviewed regularly by the Executive Committee, and Members are free to make recommendations.
Member companies will be committed to self-regulation. Where a Member becomes aware of a transgression of the Code by a fellow Member, he shall report it to the Executive Committee in writing. Members of the public are also encouraged to report any transgression of the Code to the Executive Committee.
During the course of their business and normal operations, Members are obligated to:-
- Ensure that all containers and labels thereon, when sold by a Member company, comply with the terms of the Fertilizer, Farm Feeds and Remedies Act, Chapter 18:6 of the Pesticide Regulations 1971 and will comply with the terms of the Drugs and Allied Substances Control Act 1969 and any subsequent amendments thereto. Furthermore, the Member will ensure that all leaflets and/or commercial literature comply with the requirements of the aforesaid legislation..
- Ensure that all products comply in all respects with the specifications submitted at the time of registration of the products.
- Make freely available such data as may be required by interested parties to deal adequately with any first aid enquiries.
- Discourage the indiscriminate use of any product which may involve hazard to humans, livestock, crops, wild life or the environment, or threaten the continued use of the product.
- Be prepared to investigate any case of injury to humans, crops, livestock or wild life during the transportation, storage, handling or use of the product sold by him.
- Make no false or unjustifiable statement concerning any product.
- Ensure that those of their staff who deal with the public and the distributors of their products are technically competent and responsible via successfully completing, within 12 months of joining a Member company, the appropriate CropLife Zimbabwe Accreditation Course.
- Give all reasonable help in training and advising the end users of their products.
- Ensure that all advertising and product promotion is in accordance with the standards laid out in the WHO/FAO/CropLife International Code of Conduct and be approved by the Pesticide Registrar, Zimbabwe.
- Promote the use of the correct application equipment and the wearing of protective clothing during the storage, handling, mixing and application of crop chemicals and animal health remedies.
- Promote the safe disposal of empty chemical containers and obsolete materials.