It’s a conundrum for sure… whatever a grower plans to ensure that the produce supplied to each customer is free from disease, bugs and beasties, not only does the chosen pest control method usually fail to give complete control of the problem, but somebody somewhere is going to raise a concern as to the approach taken. The classic case is with pesticides, of course.

We all understand from direct customer feedback that the preference is not to use pesticides - or if they are used, to keep it to a minimum. Even when the chemical is fully approved for use on the crop, there are valid commercial reasons why we should not use and why we must not use that chemical. It’s all about getting the right balance - however limiting it is getting out there in the lands.

As for residues in produce, although there is clear legislation that permits a set amount of residue to be present in fresh produce at the point of sale, many growers will have experienced the dichotomy of what is allowable and what is acceptable.

It is a tricky time for growers with a number of differing customers, many of whom work to a different variation of the same theme.

Trickier still is it for those growers throughout Europe who have to work to reduced percentage targets of the agreed EU Maximum Residue Levels (EU MRL) legislation. It turns into a game of ‘guess the harvest interval’.

Clearly, if the chemical is not actively residing in the product leading up to and immediately before the time of harvest, any attacking pest or disease is likely to be successful.

No doubt then that this was part of the thinking by the wise men and women of the EU when they legislated that a chemical such as Iprodione must have a legally acceptable maximum residue of only 0.02mg/kg in asparagus - which is always cooked - but in strawberries, which we happily munch on raw, the residue limit is 15mg/kg - more than 750 times more. Somewhat of a paradox then…

Thankfully though, pesticides are not the only method of controlling the nasties that damage our crops and have to be overcome to comply with customer guidelines and preferences.

Here at Hazeldene, in line with our commitment to the continual development of crop and product, we have been evaluating the non-agrochemical management of the diseases, bugs and beasties that can damage our crops.

This summer, we have been looking at the relative successes of pest preclusion methods, pest and disease resistance and companion and bio-fumigant crops, and evaluating these in direct comparison to pesticides.

Our aim is to come up with a balanced approach to crop protection that delivers maximum results with minimal drawbacks.

This is helped considerably by the most important thing in all of our lives, the wonderfully rich black soils of west Lancashire, which grow some of the best salad crops in the country. Together with our growers, we are looking to achieve a natural balance of pest and disease management to help produce best-in-class raw materials.

In the next column, we will look at companion crops. Do these actually give us a crop protection benefit or is it simply a case of growing a few wild flowers in the field to make things look pretty? Let’s hope not.

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