January 20, 2010

UK winter crop spraying is wasteful

British farmers should think carefully before applying winter treatments to crops as it could be a complete waste, the Voluntary Initiative has warned.

Prolonged wet weather and snow in the UK meant winter spray programmes were behind schedule and time was running out for some applications, said VI manager Patrick Goldsworthy.

But growers should not be tempted to spray when soils were frozen or waterlogged and should wait until field drains had stopped running, he warned.

"Melting snow is likely to result in saturated soils and recently applied pesticides could be lost in run-off or field drainage," Goldsworthy said.

Voluntary Initiative is a British organisation that promotes responsible use of pesticides.