The National Farming Union (NFU) has welcomed the focus on integrated pest management (IPM) in the government’s new pesticide national action plan (NAP), but has questioned the government’s support given the recent closure of the sustainable farming incentive (SFI).
The plan, published on Friday, March 21, set out how the governments of Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and England will work with farmers, growers, and other land managers to minimise the impacts of pesticides on people and the environment.
It is the first pesticides NAP since 2013.
NFU deputy president, David Exwood, said he was surprised over the lack of detail and commitment in the NAP to ensure farmers and growers will have the crop solutions they need to produce food now and in the future.
Exwood said the NFU would continue to analyse the full detail of the NAP and work with the government to ensure the plan both protects public health and the environment, as well as driving sustainable, climate-friendly food production.
In the NAP, the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) set a target to reduce each of the pesticides loads indicator (PLI) by at least 10% by 2030, using 2018 as a baseline year.
It said that achieving this target will demonstrate that the actions it is taking are reducing the potential impact associated with pesticide use.
Defra also said the NAP will support voluntary moves by farmers towards more sustainable pest management, which will benefit farm businesses, as well as the environment.
The NFU said it had concerns about the effect of a UK reduction target, and wanted firm commitments from the government that NAP will not ‘”impact the competitiveness of UK farmers”.
Exwood said it was disappointing that NAP did not recognise farming’s achievements so far in reducing the potential risks associated with fertiliser use.
Exwood stated: “It would have been good to see the NAP mark the progress we’ve made. The focus on IPM 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.”
