Photo is unrelated to the article. [Getty Images Bank]
Photo is unrelated to the article. [Getty Images Bank]

A fumigation-style method of applying pesticides — dispersing chemicals as fine mist or smoke — is set to gain official regulatory standing for use in greenhouse farming, cutting down on the labor required to treat crops. The government plans to establish formal registration standards for the approach by November, paving the way for dedicated pesticides to be approved under the new framework.

The Rural Development Administration announced Monday it would develop pesticide registration standards tailored to cold-fogging and thermal-fogging methods and revise the relevant official notice by the end of this year, with the aim of reducing the burden on greenhouse farmers who must currently apply pesticides by hand.

Both methods break pesticides down into extremely fine particles and disperse them as mist or smoke throughout a greenhouse. Compared with conventional spraying, in which a worker carries a sprayer through the facility, the approach significantly reduces the time and physical effort required.

Farmers have long called for the methods to be formally recognized, citing the pressures of an aging rural workforce and chronic labor shortages. Until now, however, no official registration standards existed for cold-fogging or thermal-fogging applications, leaving the sector without the regulatory foundation needed to register dedicated products.

Some farms have been applying pesticides registered for foliar treatment — spraying directly onto stems and leaves — using fogging equipment instead, a practice that falls outside the approved method of use. Using a pesticide differently from its registered application requires separate verification of crop safety, residue levels and worker protection, making dedicated testing methods and registration criteria necessary.

Seong Je-hun, director of the National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, visits a cherry tomato greenhouse farm in Buyeo, South Chungcheong Province, in May to hear firsthand about the difficulties farmers face when using fogging-method pesticides. [Rural Development Administration]
Seong Je-hun, director of the National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, visits a cherry tomato greenhouse farm in Buyeo, South Chungcheong Province, in May to hear firsthand about the difficulties farmers face when using fogging-method pesticides. [Rural Development Administration]

The Rural Development Administration began pursuing the regulatory change after Seong Je-hun, director of the National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, visited a cherry tomato greenhouse farm in Buyeo, South Chungcheong Province, in May to hear about conditions on the ground. A public-private task force was subsequently formed, bringing together experts from the pesticide industry and academia to discuss testing methods and registration criteria. The group also held consultations with honorary field researchers and industry representatives to review safety considerations.

Drawing on that work, the administration plans to revise the "Pesticide and Active Ingredient Registration Standards" by November, following a review process and a public notice period. Once the standards are in place, pesticide manufacturers will be able to develop and register products specifically designed for fogging applications.

However, revising the official notice will not immediately put dedicated pesticides in farmers' hands. Manufacturers will still need to develop products and complete the registration process. The administration expects that, if the process proceeds smoothly, dedicated fogging pesticides could be available on farms within one to two years.

"Establishing these pesticide registration standards is about formalizing a highly efficient application method to address the difficulties farmers face in the field," said Lee Gyeong-won, head of the toxicology and risk assessment division at the National Institute of Agricultural Sciences. "We will continue to pursue practical research and regulatory improvements that farmers can feel in their day-to-day work."


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