Spray Tracer Product in Development That Could Exonerate Applicators from Drift Claims, Take a Survey if You’re Interested in Such a Product

Have you ever been subjected to a frivolous drift claim? Have you ever had to settle for damage you know you didn’t cause but can’t prove otherwise? Would you love to prove that you didn’t drift onto someone’s property? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then Aanika Biosciences may be working on a product for you.

Aanika is developing a spray tracer called BioTag that can be added to spray mixtures to positively identify all spray deposits originating from that spray mixture. The goal is to allow pesticide applicators to determine if spray involved in a complaint originated from their application. This could be especially useful in frivolous drift claims as it could quickly identify if the accused did in fact drift. A unique biocode can be created for each operation, so even if there are several aerial application businesses using it in the same area, each can have a code specific to their spray mixtures.

BioTag would be offered as a package that includes spray drift insurance, backed by Lloyds of London. It is a dormant bacteria spore currently used for food traceability, meaning it’s food safe and can be applied to all food and feed crops. BioTag will stick to plants and other surfaces and does not get washed off easily in rain. It would be detectable on clothing, but not if the clothing had already been run through the laundry.

BioTag for spray traceability is still in the development phase. Aanika Bio is conducting field trials with University of Minnesota this summer to verify its performance. They are also investigating the potential interest from the ag aviation industry. If you might be interested in BioTag, please click here for a one question survey.