Mr McAlary, whose farm ‘Milawa’ is located at near Warren, says all of his 600ha cotton crop was damaged by off-target spraying, likely to be phenoxy herbicide, just before Christmas.

He says the damage occurred despite the industry’s annual campaign to warn cotton growers and other farmers of the dangers of spray drift.

“The industry communicates every year with cotton growers and other farmers about the dangers of off-target spray drift, but unfortunately these incidences stilloccur and this year it happened on my farm,” Mr McAlary says.

“While the weather plays a significant part in increasing the risks of spray drift, it is the duty of every farmer and spray contractor to understand the weather and establish the best times to spray and the right techniques to use to avoid damaging their own land or their neighbours’ crop.”

“All farmers should understand the risks and, out of respect for their neighbours and their livelihood from the land, do everything they can to prevent off-target spray drift.”

Cotton Australia General Manager, Michael Murray, says rain in recent weeks in many cotton-growing regions in Queensland and NSW meant there had been an increase in the reports of damage to cotton crops from spray drift.

“Cotton Australia is working to assist those growers whose crops have been severely impacted by off-target spray drift,” Mr Murray says. “It is unfortunate that these events must serve as a timely reminder to the potential dangers of spraying, and the responsibilities of all farmers to look after their neighbours during the season.”

Mr Murray says all farmers who spray fields must be vigilant against the effects of drift, particularly when using Phenoxy 2,4-D herbicides.

“Cotton farmers understand that weed control is important, but so is respecting your neighbours and their ability to earn an income from the land,” Mr Murray says. “The correct directions for use of Phenoxy herbicide are clearly labelled on the products, and it is a legal requirement to follow them.”

“We ask all farmers, no matter what crop they are growing, to be mindful of weather conditions, talk to their neighbours and prepare properly for spraying.”

Cotton Australia has been running its annual spray drift campaign to educate farmers and reduce the risk of spray drift damage. The campaign includes advertisements on radio and workshops in cotton-growing areas to educate growers and other farmers about the correct ways to spray. But Mr Murray also urged growers to use the CottonMap service to alert their neighbours and spray contractors about the location of their cotton fields. CottonMap - available at www.cottonmap.com.au - is a powerful tool growers can use to map the fields they have planned, which allows other farmers to avoid over-spraying and potentially damaging cotton crops.

Cotton growers have, to date, mapped more than 2730 fields totalling more than 266,180 hectares of cotton using the tool.

CottonMap is a collaboration between Cotton Australia, the Cotton Research and Development Corporation (CRDC), the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and Nufarm Australia Limited.

Mr Murray says farmers should use this checklist when preparing to use herbicides, particularly Phenoxy 2,4-D products:

Read and follow label instructions - it is a legal requirement

Monitor weather conditions before, during and after spray application

Use a nozzle that produces coarse or larger droplets

Check www.CottonMap.com.au for cotton fields that could be potentially impacted by your 2,4-D spray

Notify your neighbours - even during reasonable conditions for spraying, some spray droplets could travel up to 20km or more if the spray equipment is not used correctly, and even further in some instances of unfavourable conditions, such as during surface temperature inversions or night-time spraying

Minimise boom height when spraying Ensure spray contractors are fully trained and accredited

Cotton Australia urges growers whose crops have suffered spray drift damage to call the NSW EPA Environment Line to report it: 131 555.