Introduction to the Crop Hierarchy
The new crop hierarchy, introduced in January 2001, provides a consistent way of describing the crops and situations of use. It consists of around 280 basic crops and situations grouped into 26 primary groups that are themselves arranged into three main groups, Edible Crops, Non-Edible Crops and Non-Crop situations.
The Crop Hierarchy
The hierarchy has been based on botanical principles, but also provides a framework for standardising how we describe crops and other situations for regulatory purposes. Since 11 January 2001 the crops/situations and qualifiers listed within the crop hierarchy have been used on Notices of Approvals (except for off labels, which are currently outside these arrangements).
There will inevitably be instances where approval is requested for crops or situations not covered by the Crop Hierarchy. Provision has been made for the addition of new Basic Crops/Situations as the need arises.
The hierarchy is arranged in four levels.
At the top level are three categories, All edible crops, All non edible crops and Non-crop production. Each of these is divided into a number of Primary groups into which all the Basic crops or situations are arranged. In some cases these are arranged into Parent Groups.
The function of the primary and parent groups is primarily as an aid to database searching. Approvals will normally only be given for either basic crops or situations or for one of the three top levels (All edible crops, All non-edible crops and Non crop situations). However, in certain circumstances it may be possible to use primary or parent group terms. If applicants wish to use these higher tier terms this should be specifically requested. We will assess the suitability of each request and advise on labelling accordingly. The grouping of basic crops and situations into these groups does not imply that an approval for use on one basic crop or situation can be extrapolated to another in the same group.
A list of qualifiers is used to modify these basic crops to cover more restrictive situations, for example, crops grown for seed and protected crops.
The hierarchy includes a definition for all crops and situations. Please note that these do not necessarily apply to terms used on notices of approval prior to the introduction of the crop hierarchy. The correct meaning of any terms used previously should be clear from the label.
Revisions to the Crop Hierarchy
Three revisions have been issued:
Search CRD (Pesticides) Product Databases using the Crop Hierarchy
- Searches on the website use the crop hierarchy. Some crops which were previously known by their historical name, for example durum wheat will now be listed under the new name, in this case wheat.
- The crop conversion facility allows you to find the hierarchy crop description for a historical crop.
- Products may have restrictions limited to specific uses, therefore users should always read the label before use. For example, products approved for use on the hierarchy crop Ornamental crop production may have other label restrictions that limit use to specific ornamentals.
Contact
If you have any queries concerning the Crop Hierarchy please contact CRD's Pesticide Information section, E-mail: pesticides@hse.gsi.gov.uk