Use of Pesticides Act 2018 (No. 8 of 2018).

This Act makes provision for the control of pesticides in Mauritius and establishes the Pesticides Regulatory Office within Ministry responsible for agriculture. This Act shall apply to every person who, for the purposes of sale, cultivates or imports an agricultural produce, i.e. Any fresh fruit, plant, seed or vegetable specified in the first column of the First Schedule. No person shall, in respect of an agricultural produce specified in the first column of the First Schedule – (a) use, in or on that agricultural produce, a pesticide other than the pesticide specified in the corresponding second column of that Schedule; (b) exceed, when using a pesticide in or on that agricultural produce, the corresponding MRL specified in the corresponding third column of that Schedule. The Pesticides Regulatory Office shall, among other things – (a) regulate, control and monitor the use of pesticides in or on any agricultural produce; (b) develop strategies for the sound use and management of pesticides and for risk reduction associated with the use and disposal of empty pesticide containers;(c) devise a Pesticides Code of Practice. The Act furthermore provides for the designation of authorised officers, powers of such officers, sampling and inspection, control of the importation of pesticides, and training for the use of pesticides. No person shall import an agricultural produce whose residue level of pesticides exceeds the MRL in respect of that agricultural produce. The residue levels in imported agricultural produce shall be certified. Imports shall be destroyed if no certificate is submitted to the Office or if the agricultural produce has a residue level that exceeds the MRL.