The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has called on all growers and advisers to stick to the newly introduced voluntary guidelines on application rates otherwise the industry will face the real risk of losing metaldehyde.

“There are no magic solutions on the horizon here. Slug control is vital on many soil types and metaldehyde accounts for around 85 per cent of the current market. Although there are limited alternatives products available they would not be able to meet the gap in the market, in the short term or at all,” said NFU combinable crops board chairman Ian Backhouse.

Metaldehyde is threatened because of breaches of a technical standard for levels of pesticide in surface waters.

“The actions of individual farmers can and will make a real difference. The technical standard which is being breached here is so low that it will take all farmers following the new guidelines to the letter to make real improvements. I am calling on fellow farmers to follow the new voluntary guidelines produced by the Metaldehyde Stewardship Group (MSG), to follow the risk assessment and be prepared to use alternative options in high-risk conditions.

“Look at other control options first like cultivations, seed rates and seed dressings and use metaldehyde slug pellets as the last resort. The clock is ticking now and we must all work together to preserve metaldehyde and ensure we keep all of the tools available in the fight against crop pests.”

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