New pest controls could save 500m

18 July 1997

New pest controls could save £500m

Farmers could help the environment and save up to £500m a year by adopting different spraying and pest control techniques, according to a report released yesterday.

The new report calls for increased use of pest-resistant crop varieties, appropriate pesticide dose rates, pest thresholds for spray decisions, improved application techniques, buffer zones and independent crop advisers.

The report, Private costs and benefits of pesticide minimisation, is the work of independent consultants, Risk & Policy Analysts Ltd in association with Entec UK Ltd, and was commissioned by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR).

It estimates the savings to individual farmers who implement these new techniques, which are aimed at reducing the need for pesticides and to improve the targeting or application of pesticides.