Farmers urged to check pesticides in water

If you thought the most valuable output to leave your land was your wheat, you’d be wrong. It’s actually water, with a typical calculated drinking water value of £8625/ha in eastern counties.

Little wonder, then, that you’re asked to check, and check again, that it leaves your farm as pesticide-free as possible.

“Despite all the efforts the industry has made, there is still evidence that some growers have not addressed all the issues around their pesticide handling facilities,” says the Voluntary Initiative’s Patrick Goldsworthy.

It’s these areas that account for more than 40% of pesticides that find their way into water. Research for Catchment Sensitive Farming by AIC agronomists has found some growers don’t believe that pesticides in water are a problem in their region.

“It’s critical that every grower checks their pesticide handling is up to scratch – a simple oversight can so easily become a major source of pesticides reaching water. But a few simple checks can ensure this never occurs.”

To help growers, the VI has devised a quick test-yourself quiz. Check It Out consists of 10 questions that focus on some of the key points where contamination can occur.

The test is available to download through the VI website (www.voluntaryinitiative.org). Crops has also teamed up with VI and the Crop Protection Association (CPA) to produce an interactive version that will go live online www.fwi.co.uk/checkitout from the end of the month. It takes seconds to answer the questions, assess your score, and discover if you’re an admirable operator or a contamination culprit.

“Some issues are more critical than others, and we bore this in mind when we brought the questions together,” notes Mr Goldsworthy. A good example is the water source you use to fill your sprayer.

“Drawing directly off mains water supply is a definite no-no, but we know this still takes place on some farms. It can lead to back-siphoning – thankfully a rare occurrence, but one with serious consequences.”

Other issues require more judgement, and a more pragmatic approach is needed. The proximity of your handling area to drains is one example. “Ideally the nearest drain should be more than 10m away. You should have a plan of all your drains, and should have considered the risk of any spillage or run-off reaching them.”

The surface you fill the sprayer on is also important – if concreted, could rain water or run-off make its way to a drain? “Consider where you park the sprayer – if that’s outside, rain could wash pesticide off the boom into a drain.”

And if you don’t have a groundwater-permitted site for excess spray solution and washings, these must be applied to the crop, keeping below the maximum dose.

So what happens if growers don’t get it right? “There’s a hope that the talk of less red tape means the coalition government will ease the pressure on farmers to comply with pesticide regulations,” says Mr Goldsworthy.

“The government and the Environment Agency prefer the velvet glove of voluntary measures. But DEFRA is working within European directives and the UK has to meet specific targets on water quality. If we fail to achieve these, the UK will face hefty fines it can ill afford. If farmers don’t make the changes voluntarily, then everyone will feel the steely fist of more regulation, farm inspections and product restrictions.”