The national Pesticides Forum has published its annual report, Pesticides in the UK: The 2008 report on the impacts and sustainable use of pesticides.
The report outlines progress made with the delivery of the UK’s pesticides strategy which covers: human health; environment (water and biodiversity); amenity use; amateur use (home and garden); and availability of products and techniques.
Pesticide Forum chairman James Clarke said:
“Our report indicates that the use of pesticides is not impacting adversely on the health of UK citizens or the environment. The mix of statutory and voluntary controls delivered within the framework of the Government’s UK Pesticides Strategy have been successful in ensuring that society derives the benefits which can accrue from the responsible use of these chemicals, without being exposed to unacceptable levels of risk which could arise from their use.”
The report also highlights key developments and trends in the use of pesticides during the last year. The Forum welcomes the impact of the new lower use rate fungicides in reducing total fungicide use and notes the relatively low number of breaches in pesticide legislation identified in Rural Payments Agency (RPA) Cross Compliance inspections.
The report also identifies issues that the Forum believes need further monitoring or work, such as:
- Monitoring the impact of more land being used for farming on pesticide use and the removal of approvals for some pesticides.
- The benefit of having a wider range of information from which it could assess the risks which can arise from the use of pesticides
- A reported increase in the number of wildlife incidents arising from abuse of pesticides
James Clarke added:
“The public can be assured that users of pesticides are applying these chemicals in a responsible manner. Many users take specialist advice before during and after applications, and are adopting practices which exceed the statutory requirements.
“As such, the UK is well placed to meet the demands to further improve the way we use pesticides which will follow from the requirements of the EU directive on the Sustainable Use of Pesticides.”
The Pesticides Forum was set up by Ministers in 1996 to identify common interests amongst those concerned with the use and effects of pesticides. Its remit includes the dissemination of best practice and advising Government on policy relating to the responsible use of pesticides.
This is the 12th Annual Report published by the Pesticides Forum. Further information on the Forum can be found at:
http://www.pesticides.gov.uk/pesticides_forum_home.asp
Further information on the development of the UK Pesticides Strategy,
and the work of the Action Plan Groups, can be found at:
http://www.pesticides.gov.uk/environment.asp?id=70
The report will be available free of charge on the Pesticides Forum website http://www.pesticides.gov.uk/environment.asp?id=70 in an ‘e-book’ format. This will allow the reader to customise the document to suit their own viewing needs and to explore issues via a range of hyperlinks to underlying data and other sources of relevant information.
For further information please contact James Clarke - Pesticide Forum chairman, telephone 01954 268219 or e-mail Pesticidesforum@hse.gsi.gov.uk.