Use the DAFM Equipment Inspectors page to find the list of approved sprayer testers near you. DAFM says inspectors must be appropriately trained and registered to issue valid certificates of compliance. Keep the machine’s own inspection evidence with the schedule row that explains its category.
Identify the equipment before assigning an interval
The 2026 schedule separates horizontal-boom sprayers, bush/orchard-blast sprayers, train sprayers and several specialist types. The horizontal-boom rows distinguish equipment above and below the stated three-metre boundary, including an ATV reference in the smaller-boom row.
Record the manufacturer, model, machine identifier, application method and relevant working dimensions from your own documents. Give the inspector enough information to identify the correct category. If a configuration sits on a boundary or combines different application equipment, ask the inspector to confirm which schedule provision applies before entering a deadline in your equipment file.
Keep the purchase invoice and previous test certificate available. Write down whether the purchase was new or second-hand. A date on a used-machine invoice records your transaction; it does not by itself establish that the equipment was new on that date.
Read the January 2026 schedule
| Equipment described in DAFM’s schedule | Subsequent inspection interval |
|---|---|
| Horizontal-boom sprayer over 3 m | Three years from initial inspection |
| Horizontal-boom sprayer under 3 m, including the stated ATV category | Three years from initial inspection |
| Bush/orchard-blast sprayer | Three years from initial inspection |
| Train sprayer | Every year from initial inspection |
| Listed glasshouse, seed-treatment, granular, weed-wiper and fogging categories | Three years from initial inspection |
These are the schedule’s category-specific subsequent frequencies. Its specialist rows also show initial-inspection deadlines, so the repeat interval should not be read as a complete explanation of the first inspection.
The schedule gives 31 December 2027 as the initial deadline for the listed fixed/semi-mobile glasshouse equipment, seed-treatment equipment, granular applicators, weed wipers and fogging equipment. Keep that transitional date attached to the relevant category. Do not extend it to a boom sprayer merely because both machines use pesticides.
Check a previously tested machine
DAFM’s accompanying year table shows equipment tested in 2023 next due in 2026, equipment tested in 2024 next due in 2027, and equipment tested in 2025 next due in 2028. The table also shows new purchases in 2026 next due in 2029.
Use the actual certificate and sticker when establishing the date for an individual machine. The year table is an orientation aid; your equipment file should preserve the full inspection date and identification rather than reducing the evidence to a season label.
If the sticker and filed certificate appear inconsistent, retain copies and ask the inspector to reconcile them. Keep the answer with the machine record. Avoid choosing the later-looking date simply because it fits the planned workload more conveniently.
For a second-hand machine, ask for the previous inspection evidence during the purchase handover. File it under the equipment’s identity, with the seller’s information and your own acquisition documents in the same folder. Keep an unresolved certificate enquiry visible until it is answered.
Use the law and current schedule together
Regulation 9 of SI 155/2012 was replaced by SI 438/2019. The substituted provision requires listed equipment to be inspected and certified by a registered equipment inspector within the applicable time and to the specified standard. It requires the Minister’s list to identify equipment classes, standards and frequencies.
That structure explains why the current published schedule matters. An old article describing the original system does not establish the current first-test age for a machine. For this guide, the legal amendment and the official January 2026 schedule were read together.
The same provision separately requires equipment to be correctly calibrated and appropriate to the intended use. Passing an inspection and setting the machine for a particular application are therefore different matters to organise.
Find and contact the appropriate inspector
DAFM’s equipment page links a spreadsheet headed List of Approved Pesticide Equipment Inspectors — 2025, alongside the 2026 schedule. Preserve the document’s actual title when using the list; do not relabel an older list as a newly issued 2026 register.
Give the inspector the equipment category, model, location and current certificate details. Ask about availability, the test arrangements, preparation instructions, quotation, repairs and any retest procedure before booking. Those are booking questions for the particular service; this guide does not assign a national test fee or universal appointment duration.
Keep the reply with the booking. If somebody else will present the machine, pass on the inspector’s preparation instructions and identify where the relevant paperwork is stored. Put the machine reference on the appointment note so an office colleague can distinguish it from other equipment awaiting service.
Prepare a useful equipment file
Organise the file around one recognisable machine reference. Include purchase evidence, prior certificates, inspection correspondence, the appointment confirmation and the new report. Retain repair documents beside the report they address, so the next person reviewing the folder can follow what happened.
DAFM’s completed crop instructions explain that the sprayer-certificate entry refers to the certificate number located on the application equipment. Keep that number accessible to the person completing the treatment record, with the actual machine identity next to it.
For a contractor with several machines, prepare a register showing the internal reference, certificate location and person responsible for the next action. Use the supplier’s or inspector’s actual identifiers. A private nickname can help colleagues recognise the sprayer, but preserve the formal identity as well.
Before an equipment handover, retrieve a certificate from the register and compare it with the machine concerned. Check that a report for a similar or previous machine has not been placed in the same folder by mistake. Record any correction as an administrative correction, preserving the underlying evidence.
Keep calibration evidence separate
Teagasc’s efficient-sprayer guidance explains the roles of nozzles, pressure measurement, forward speed and flow controls. It says that control systems depend on the accuracy of speed and flow information. The capacity calculation for a tank uses an application volume that still needs to describe the actual setup.
Retain calibration information with the machine configuration and the date of the exercise. Identify the nozzle arrangement and output information used for the job. When equipment or settings change, review the application calculation rather than assuming an earlier tank-coverage result remains appropriate.
The tank-capacity guide is prepared for publication; its public URL was unavailable when checked on 27 October 2026. For your working sheet, multiply treated area by the established spray volume per hectare to calculate the liquid total. Keep this arithmetic separate from calibration measurements and inspection certificates.
Keep your spray records in one place. Free to start.
Knapsacks and specialist equipment need their own route
DAFM’s May 2025 local-authority guidance expressly excludes knapsack/handheld sprayers from its equipment-testing statement, while separately requiring regular calibration. The 2026 schedule lists other specialist categories with their own provisions.
When asking about a less familiar machine, describe the mechanism and application method rather than relying on a general name such as “small sprayer.” Send the inspector the manufacturer’s description if necessary. Preserve the category answer in the equipment file so the same uncertainty does not recur at the next booking.
For council or grounds work, connect the equipment identity to the site and operator documents. The local-authority record guide organises that evidence pack. For farming, the inspection guide places the certificate beside the other records likely to need retrieval.
Complete the inspection handover
After the appointment, file the outcome and any follow-up instructions under the machine reference. Give the responsible colleague a clear next action, such as obtaining the report, arranging the stated repairs or confirming the next applicable date. Do not mark an unresolved repair as a passed inspection in the working register.
Compare the report’s machine details with your register before distributing copies to operators. Keep the source document available when entering the certificate number in a spray record. If the machine is later replaced, preserve the historical relationship between the earlier equipment and the applications it performed.
Read the inspection-standard column correctly
The DAFM schedule identifies EN ISO 16122 Part 2 for the larger horizontal-boom category and a standard based on that part for the smaller horizontal-boom category. It identifies Part 3 for bush/orchard-blast sprayers and Part 4 for the listed fixed/semi-mobile glasshouse equipment. Specialist rows refer to SPISE advice or advice in progress.
Keep the applicable standard description with the category when recording your enquiry. An inspection-standard reference describes the technical framework named in the schedule; it is different from the certificate number identifying an individual tested machine. Avoid copying a standard number into the spray diary’s certificate field.
For unfamiliar equipment, ask the inspector which row and standard are being used. Keep their answer with the manufacturer’s description. If a machine has been altered since an earlier inspection, describe the change in the booking enquiry rather than assuming that the previous category still answers the question.
Make a component note for the booking conversation
Teagasc’s efficient-sprayer guidance discusses nozzles, the pressure gauge or transducer, forward-speed information, filters and sprayer controls. It explains that different components affect output, pattern and the accuracy of delivery. Use that vocabulary to describe a known fault clearly when arranging service or inspection.
For example, distinguish a damaged gauge from an unexplained control reading, or a blocked filter from a concern about the overall spray pattern. Describe what you observed and when it occurred. These descriptions help frame the conversation; they are not a self-issued pass/fail assessment or a replacement for the inspector’s procedure.
Keep photographs or maintenance notes associated with the relevant machine reference if you already use them. Identify whether the issue appeared before the latest repair or remains unresolved afterwards. Preserve the supplier’s repair description beside the original observation rather than replacing it with a vague note that the machine was “sorted.”
Arrange a practical appointment handover
Ask the inspector what the machine needs for the appointment and who must be available to present it. Confirm the location, access arrangements and any preparation instructions in writing. Obtain the quotation and clarify how an identified repair or subsequent attendance would be charged before assuming it is included.
If a colleague will attend, provide the equipment identifier, previous certificate, booking contact and relevant repair history. Give them a place to record the outcome and any follow-up. Separate the authority to approve commercial repairs from the task of handing over the machine, according to your business arrangements.
Do not improvise cleaning, filling or transport instructions from a generic checklist on another website. Use the inspector’s preparation directions with the machine and product instructions relevant to your circumstances. File those directions with the appointment so there is a record of what was requested.
Deal with an incomplete or adverse outcome
When the report identifies unresolved work, preserve the inspector’s exact description and any stated follow-up process. Assign the repair enquiry to a named person. Keep the repair order, invoice and correspondence with the report so the file shows both the issue and the response.
Ask the inspector how completion will be documented and what further inspection is required for your case. This guide does not invent a universal repair grace period or retest price. Mark the working register with the actual outcome recorded, and change it only when you have the supporting document for the new status.
If the machine is needed urgently, discuss the alternative equipment arrangement within the business. Preserve the identity and relevant evidence for the replacement actually used. Do not attach the original sprayer’s certificate to an application performed by a different machine simply because the substitution happened at short notice.
Handle borrowed, hired and contractor equipment
Before the job, establish which machine will be used and where its inspection evidence can be retrieved. Ask the supplying person for the recognisable equipment identifier and relevant certificate information. Keep the source response with the job arrangement rather than entering an unexplained certificate number from memory.
After the application, compare the machine named in the operator’s report with the one originally planned. If a substitution occurred, request the details of the actual equipment and preserve the clarification. Keep the contractor’s report as the source of the application information and connect it to the supporting equipment document.
At the end of a hire or loan, retain the historical relationship between the machine and the applications it performed. Removing a temporary machine from a current working list should not erase the evidence explaining an earlier job. A season archive should remain readable even after the equipment is no longer available on the holding.
Review the register before the next busy period
Use a short review to identify missing reports, unresolved booking enquiries and equipment no longer in service. Compare the applicable schedule row with the evidence in each folder. Record the next action and person responsible; preserve the official schedule’s wording for any category-specific initial deadline.
Test the handover by asking someone unfamiliar with the filing system to locate a certificate from the machine’s ordinary farm name. If they retrieve a different sprayer’s report, repair the index before circulating another season’s documents. Keep both internal nicknames and formal identifiers visible so the connection remains understandable.