The Environment Agency has issued an advice notice to farmers updating them on metaldehyde use – the Agency said it is important growers adhere to the current guidelines on metaldehyde use to avoid contaminating watercourses and protect drinking water supplies.

Metaldehyde is the pesticide that most often causes risks to drinking water sources, especially in the autumn. If metaldehyde enters watercourses it can threaten drinking water quality, resulting in disruption of water abstraction to treatment works and reservoirs.

The Agency says farmers need to operate ‘best practice’ in order to avoid pollution and to prevent metaldehyde entering watercourses. This includes taking into consideration:

• the slope of the field - steeper fields are a higher risk
• the drainage status of the field - heavy soils and under-draining are a high risk
• the proximity of watercourses or ditches - fields adjacent to these are high risk
• the current and predicted weather - saturated soils and heavy rain can cause a high risk of runoff
• the filling and wash down area of the pellet applicator - areas which run off to drains or watercourses will have a high risk of pollution

The Metaldehyde Stewardship Group guidelines promote autumn restrictions to prevent the pesticide from causing water pollution - the restriction period runs from 1 August to 31 December.

The guidelines recommend a maximum total application rate of 210g/ha of the active ingredient, which may be reduced to 160g/ha or less upon the recommendation of a BASIS qualified advisor.

The maximum application rate of 700g/ha/calendar year is now a statutory legal requirement, plus a 6 metre no-spread zone adjacent to watercourses. The Agency is advising farmers that alternatives, such as ferric phosphate, are available and should be considered in high risk areas, particularly if the metaldehyde limit is being approached.

The Environment Agency’s What’s In Your Backyard website allows farmers and other growers to enter the relevant postcode to find out if there is a metaldehyde risk in their area.

Farming and crop protection industry continues voluntary initiative on pesticide use

In 2001 the Government accepted proposals put forward by the farming and crop protection industry to minimise the environmental impacts from pesticides. The programme was developed as an alternative to a pesticide tax which had been under consideration by the Government.

The Voluntary Initiative on responsible pesticide use has since continued as a voluntary programme of work promoting responsible pesticide use.

An independent Steering Group, under the Chairmanship of Richard Butler, directs the implementation process and reports progress to Defra Ministers.

The current sponsors of the VI are:

• Agricultural Engineers Association
• Agricultural Industries Confederation
• Country Land and Business Association
• Crop Protection Association
• National Farmers Union
• National Farmers Union of Scotland
• National Association of Agricultural Contractors
• Ulster Farmers Union

Click here to visit the Environment Agency WIYBY map pages

Click here to visit the Voluntary Initiative on Pesticides website