Social responsibility

Commitment to community and environment

A portion of Farmers Agri-Care’s annual turnover is donated to six initiatives from two groups of welfare projects.

Environmental Beneficiaries

KZN Crane Foundation

KZN Midlands

The Crane Foundation runs bird and habitat conservation programmes in association with communities, land owners and government agencies.

African Raptor Trust

KZN Midlands

The African Bird of Prey Sanctuary is a facility dedicated to the research, conservation, and public awareness of indigenous raptors.

Zululand Conservation Trust

KZN North Coast

This initiative focuses on the conservation of endangered species, specifically wild dog, black and white rhino, and pangolins.

Social Responsibility Beneficiaries

Wylie House

Durban

A refuge for children whose parents have been deemed by the Children’s Court to be unfit to care for their children.

SOS Children’s Villages

Pietermaritzburg

A place that orphaned and abandoned children can call home, where their needs for food, healthcare, shelter, and education are met.

Our Hope, Thembalethu Care Organisation

Winterton

A community-based non-profit organisation dedicated to caring for those suffering from HIV/AIDS and poverty.

Pledge

CropLife South Africa: Membership and compliance

Farmers Agri-Care and all its agents are accredited members of CropLife South Africa. Membership to this non-profit industry association represents a commitment to a code of best-practices. This is an assurance to both suppliers and customers that Farmers Agri-Care and its Agents are:

  • CropLife-certified and participate in the annual Continuous Professional Development programme.
  • Compliant with regulations governing the crop chemical industry.
  • Committed to stewardship and responsible use.
  • Up-to-date with crop research and product development.
  • Committed to safety, health and environmental standards.
  • And can be easily identified via the CropLife ID-card system.

Crop Life Compliance

Farmers Agri-Care and all its agents are accredited members of CropLife South Africa, demonstrating our commitment to best practices and high standards.

  • AVCASA-certified and participate in the annual Continuous Professional Development programme;
  • Comply with an industry Code of Conduct;
  • Are competent in respect of regulations governing the crop chemical industry;
  • Participate in annual training with suppliers to ensure all retain comprehensive crop and product knowledge;
  • Committed to safety, health and environmental standards;
  • Conform to warehousing and transportation codes;
  • Possess valid comprehensive insurance cover;
  • And can be easily identified via an ID-card system.

Recycling empty containers

As part of its commitment to sustainable agriculture and responsible environmental management, Farmers Agri-Care collaborates with Ecosystems Recycling, an AVCASA-approved KZN-based plastic recycler.

Ecosystems Recycling is based in Empangeni. They will collect empty plastic containers from anywhere in KZN, provided they have been correctly triple-rinsed according to the process shown in the diagram.

Farmers need to introduce two simple steps into their spraying operations in order to commit to responsible recycling:

  • Triple rinse all containers. This is essential, and must become a standard procedure.
  • Store these clean empties for collection by Ecosystems Recycling. Once farmers have accumulated 800 containers, they can be collected by Peter Bannock of Ecosystems Recycling: Call him directly at 082 556 0838, or during office hours at 035 787 0507 or email him at perfecto@iafrica.com

     

To help farmers manage empty containers and obsolete pesticides, CropLife SA Waste Management Programme is detailed on their website.

  1. A list of approved recyclers of empty plastic containers;
  2. Guidelines for the disposal of empty plastic containers;
  3. Guideline for the disposal of obsolete pesticides.

Stewardship and Responsible Use

As part of its commitment to sustainable agriculture, Farmers Agri-Care is aligned with CropLife in various Stewardship and Responsible Use initiatives.

1. Training on the responsible use, handling and application of pesticides

Most Farmers Agri-Care Agents are certified by CropLife to give training on Safe use of pesticides for farmers, farm workers, farm managers, pesticide store managers and spray operators.
Attendees will be given a certificate on completion, which is recognised for audits by certain food retailers, crop commodity marketers and exporters.

2. Triple-rinsing of empty containers

Farmers are encouraged to introduce two simple steps into their spraying operations in order to commit to responsible recycling:

  • Triple rinse all containers. This process removes 99.99% of the product residue in the container, meaning that they are classified as non-hazardous according to SABS standard SANS10402 and is safe for transportation and recycling.
  • Deliver the triple-rinsed empties to a CropLife certified collection recycling point, listed below. On delivery, a certificate of responsible disposal can be issued which is recognised for audits by certain food retailers, crop commodity marketers and exporters.