AIC welcomes publication of the UK Pesticides National Action Plan (NAP)
AICs key takeaways:
- We support the focus on increasing uptake of integrated pest management (IPM)
- We agree with strengthening compliance with regulations on plant protection products to ensure safety and protection of the environment
- We believe that the Pesticide Load Indicator (PLI) method to assess and reduce the potential harm posed by plant protection products is a much more intelligent metric and support the target to reduce each of the 20 PLI metrics by at least 10% by 2030, from the 2018 baseline.
Following a consultation on the draft of the UK National Action Plan for the Sustainable Use of Pesticides conducted between 4 December 2020 to 26 February 2021 the UK Government have published the NAP.
We welcome the governments continued ambition to increasing IPM uptake and AIC members are at the forefront of advising farmers and growers on implementing IPM on farm. Members have operated trials for many years across the UK to demonstrate to growers how IPM measures can be introduced successfully to reduce the use of conventional PPPs and maintain yield and quality. Members are also working with growers to introduce new technologies to gather data to enable targeted application of inputs, thereby reducing costs and decreasing environmental impacts. We look forward to continuing this work to help with the uptake of IPM across the sectors AIC members operate in.
AIC considers that the PLI is a more intelligent metric to assess the impact of PPPs than just weight and volume as it considers the chemical properties and behaviour of PPPs in the environment. AIC is interested to understand how Defra will consider the impact of other pressures that have the potential to create harm through acute and chronic toxicity on the ten organisms selected for this metric.
In responding to the draft NAP AIC highlighted the risk to human health and the environment from online purchases of professional plant protection products to users who were not trained or certificated in their use. AIC also highlighted that some of these products were transported by carriers who were not advised of the contents and so would not know how to manage a spill in the event of an emergency. We are pleased that Defra studies supported our concerns, and that they are taking forward recommendations from this research to raise awareness of the restrictions applying to professional PPPs.
AIC are also pleased that Defra has committed to update the Codes of Practice for users and suppliers of professional PPPs, to include legislative and best practice changes which have been made since the Yellow Code for Suppliers was published 27 years ago.
AIC looks forward to working with Defra, CRD and industry stakeholders to provide input helping deliver and developing the 2025 NAP further.
Author
Hazel Doonan
Hazel is based at AIC Head Office, Peterborough and is responsible for management and coordination of the Crop Protection Sector.
