New best practice advice on insecticide use has been developed by The Voluntary Initiative (VI).
 
The new insecticide advice highlights four foundations of best practice: identification of environmentally sensitive areas on the farm, following an integrated approach, using pest thresholds as a decision making tool for treatment, and ensuring treatment is made safely and accurately. Following this advice, alongside The VI’s Integrated Pest Management Plan (IPMP), or similar tools, will help farmers and sprayer operators minimise the environmental impact of insecticides and safeguard the future use of plant protection products.
 
VI Chairman Richard Butler said ‘I try to use insecticides only when absolutely necessary and will use the new VI insecticide guidance to minimise risk.  I also take account of advice from my agronomist and use these revised thresholds for specific insect pests, which I find very helpful when deciding when it is necessary to spray.

David Ellerton from Hutchinsons praised the VI’s insecticide advice: ‘Following these simple guidelines will help the farmers and operators I work with to minimise the risk of their crops being affected by pests and helps give them the confidence to make the right decision about when to resort to the use of insecticides by checking thresholds’.
 
To find out more, download The VI’s guidance document ‘Insecticides: Best Practice advice for farmers and operators’.  Hard copies will be available from The VI, NRoSO and NSTS stand at Cereals.