Archive Article: 2002/06/28

28 June 2002

Sprayer register is really a step forward

News that farm sprayer users need to join a national register of operators qualified to apply pesticides may sound like more needless bureaucracy.

But it is the latest step in the drive to counter a swingeing pesticides tax, which could rip £125m/year off the bottom line of UK farming. It also reinforces the industrys image as being a responsible pesticides user.

Government has warned that unless pesticide use improves it reserves the right to impose a tax. So far, farmers have shown full support for the industrys voluntary initiative to counter that tax – 100% returned forms in a recent postal survey. Lets hope thats enough to keep pesticide tax plans where they belong – on the drawing board.