Closed Transfer System: New study shows they dramatically reduce farmers’ exposure with positive results for our farmers

June 15, 2023June 20, 2023 2 min read CropLife

What is a Closed Transfer System (CTS)?

CTS is a mechanism that allows crop protection products to be directly transferred from their original container to the spray tank, thus reducing the operators’ exposure and allowing them to accurately measure the volume of the chemical being transferred.

About this study

Recently, a study was conducted by an independent contractor, under good laboratory practice (GLP), to fill a significant gap in data regarding the efficacy of CTS in reducing operator exposure under real field uses.

Up until this point, CTS had only demonstrated its efficiency in lab studies and in some smaller field studies.

This study was aimed at covering the agronomic reality in Europe. It looked at three systems to measure the actual reduction in operator exposure during mixing and loading: easyFlow M, easyconnect and GoatThroat®.

These systems were examined across 4 countries and used 2 products mimicking high and low application-rate products, tested with different tank sizes. In total, this amounted to 72 monitoring units.

The volume of data generated is comparable to the existing data from open pour studies, which are used in the European registration process by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and local regulations.

Some very positive results

The CTS tested in the study, specifically those designed for pesticide loading in larger tanks (easyflow and easyconnect), demonstrated significant exposure reduction of over 95% compared to potential open pour data. TheGoathroat system, typically developed for smaller rigs, also exhibited strong performance with an exposure reduction greater than 70%.

The final report, along with the raw data, was submitted to EFSA. Regulators interested in this information can access the report and the evaluation report upon request.

The results of the study will also be published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Why is this important to us?

For our members, the safety and health of farmers using crop protection products is a top priority.

One of the pillars of our 2030 Commitments for the future of agriculture in Europe is “Protecting the People and the Environment”. This implies that in order to further reduce operators’ exposure, we aim to make Closed Transfer Systems (CTS) technology available to 100% of European farmers and operators by 2030”.

Also Read: ICAR signs an MOU with Amazon Kisan to guide farmers on the scientific cultivation of crops

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