NFU welcomes publication of plan, but questions how it will be supported and delivered
The government has published its long-awaited UK Pesticides National Action Plan (NAP).
The plan, which applies to the whole of the UK, has been developed in partnership between Defra, the Scottish and Welsh governments, and the Northern Ireland Executive, and focuses on actions against the government’s statutory obligations.
The plan covers three key areas:
- encouraging the development and uptake of integrated pest management (IPM) and alternative approaches or techniques to reduce dependency on the use of pesticides;
- establishing timetables and targets for the reduction of the risks and impacts of pesticide use, including monitoring and setting targets for the reduction of use of pesticides containing active substances of particular concern;
- ensuring storage, handling, cleaning and disposal operations do not endanger human health or the environment through effective inspection, enforcement and other official control activities.
The NAP also sets a minimum domestic target to reduce each of the arable UK Pesticide Load Indicator (UK PLI) metrics by at least 10 per cent by 2030, taking figures for 2018 as a baseline.
The NAP target is based on pesticide usage in the arable agricultural sector. Arable farming accounts for around 85 to 90 per cent of total pesticide use in UK agriculture and horticulture.
While the UK PLI has been designed and tested extensively on arable data, Defra said it is still working on calculating the UK PLI for other agricultural pesticide surveys conducted as part of the Pesticide Usage Survey, for example soft fruits, orchards and edible protected crops.
Defra said it will be led by the evidence, and will regularly review progress against targets.
Industry response
The NFU weclomed the publication of the NAP and the fact it focuses on increasing Integrated Pest Management (IPM), alongside compliance and a new target to reduce risk measures.
But given the key way for government to support uptake of IPM is through the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), which was closed suddenly last week, the union said farmers ”have been left scratching their heads about the continued lack of joined-up policymaking and the potential impact this has on the progress made to date.”
The NFU said it is unclear how the NAP will be supported and delivered, especially without the SFI options, and called into question Defra’s commitment to proactively supporting IPM uptake without further impacting competitiveness of farmers, with the EU having scrapped its proposed Sustainable Use Regulation and 50 per cent pesticide reduction target.
There’s also little mention of farming’s achievements to date and the sector’s continuing work in reducing the potential risks associated with pesticide use, it added.
NFU deputy president David Exwood said he was surprised about the lack of detail and commitment to ensure farmers and growers will have the crop solutions they need to produce food now and in the future.
He said: “The UK currently has some of the most stringent pesticide regulations in the world which control any potential impact or risks from their use.
“UK farming is committed to demonstrating that it is continuing to take a responsible approach to using plant protection products, and it would have been good to see the NAP mark the progress we’ve made. For example, under the previous NAP, we successfully increased training of spray operators, equipment testing and stewardship initiatives.
“And last year, more than 6,000 Voluntary Initiative IPM Plans were completed on farms across the country. These have resulted in world-leading professionalisation of pesticide use.
“The focus on IPM also aligns with the NFU’s own plant-health strategy, which puts IPM at the heart of all crop protection activity.
“While the government rightly focuses on public health and the environment, it’s critically important this is balanced with the need to grow affordable British food and increase productivity. For this, farmers and growers need continued support for IPM uptake and access to more effective tools to protect crops from pests, weeds and disease, and to ensure they can run thriving, profitable businesses. The NAP has come up short on the detail of how it will support this balance.
“We will be working through the full details of the new NAP and working with government to ensure this new plan protects public health and the environment, while also helping to drive sustainable climate-friendly food production in the UK.”
