Electronic spray records in Northern Ireland from 2027

Why the rules apply in Northern Ireland

Under the Windsor Framework, EU rules on plant protection products, including Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/564, apply in Northern Ireland. DAERA (the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs) is the competent authority. Great Britain follows different rules, so a business working both sides of the Irish Sea may need two record formats.

The key dates

Date	What changes
1 January 2026	New record content applies: authorisation (MAPP) number, EPPO code for the crop or land use and BBCH growth stage where the label restricts the stage. DAERA has said it will not apply penalties for the new content requirements during 2026.
1 January 2027	Records must be held in an electronic, machine-readable format. DAERA used the option to postpone mandatory electronic transfer by one year to this date.
31 January the following year	Final deadline for records first made on paper to be held electronically. Paper records should be converted without undue delay.

Who counts as a professional user

Anyone who uses professional plant protection products, such as herbicides, fungicides and insecticides, in agriculture, horticulture, forestry or amenity settings. That includes spray contractors, grounds maintenance firms, golf course and sports turf teams, local councils, estates and farmers.

What each record must include

• The product name and its authorisation number (MAPP number)
• The date and, where relevant, the time of application
• The dose applied
• The area, volume or quantity treated
• The crop or land use, identified by its EPPO code
• The BBCH growth stage, where the product label restricts use to certain stages
• Where the treatment took place

Our guide to EPPO and BBCH codes explains the codes in plain English, and our worked amenity example shows a complete record.

What machine-readable means

DAERA lists CSV, Excel workbooks (.xlsx), XML and JSON as acceptable formats, along with other structured electronic formats that software can process. A PDF, a photo or a scan of a paper sheet is not machine-readable on its own.

If you spray for someone else

Contractors must give the person or business they work for access to, or a copy of, the relevant records without undue delay, and provide them in the machine-readable format when asked. Records must be kept for at least three years.

Your options

• DAERA’s Excel template. Free, and it meets the format. You fill in every field yourself, including the codes, and you manage copies for clients. See template or app?
• Farm management software. Good if you already run an arable farm on it, but often more than a contractor or grounds team needs.
• A spray record app like Sprayfolio. Built for recording on your phone in the field, with MAPP numbers, EPPO and BBCH codes filled in, a secure link for each client and exports in the 2023/564 layout.

A simple plan for the rest of 2026

1. Check your 2026 records include the new fields, especially MAPP numbers and EPPO codes.
2. Choose how you will keep records electronically from 1 January 2027.
3. Move any 2026 paper records into your electronic system before 31 January 2027.
4. Agree with each client how they will receive their copy.