Data for the Voluntary initiative shows that farmers have again beaten all major targets set.
Amongst other statistics, the results for this year show that: the National Sprayer Testing Scheme (NSTS) has achieved 82.4 per cent coverage of the sprayed area, just over 1.5m Ha of Crop Protection Management Plans (CPMPs) have been registered with the NFU, that there are almost 21,000 active members on the National Register of Sprayer Organisations (NRoSO), and that the Biodiversity and Environment Training for Advisers (BETA) qualification was just short of its 1,000 certificate target.
Director General of the Agricultural Engineers Association (AEA) Jake Vowles said: “The NSTS results are absolutely stunning and show what farmers and growers can deliver through a voluntary scheme.
“It’s been a fantastic effort from everybody,” Mr Vowles, who administer the NSTS, added, “Three thousand more sprayers have been tested than in the same period last year and we are still counting.”
NFU vice president Paul Temple said: The response from farmers and growers, and their agronomists, has been really impressive. I am pleased to say it is clear from the thousands of CPMP returns we have received from across the UK the farming industry is taking their pesticide stewardship very seriously.”
Initially set up in 2001 as a response to the threat of tax on pesticides the VI has now been running for six years and has been extended for a further two.