Pesticide stewardship was the main focus of the Water UK stand at Cereals, promoting the role farmers can play in reducing instances of crop protection treatments reaching water.
 
Seven water companies were represented at the event, showcasing how they are increasingly working with the agricultural sector, for the mutual benefit of protecting surface water and the availability of pesticides.
 
Metazachlor Matters is one of the more recent stewardship initiatives to be launched and was welcomed to the Water UK stand for the first time this year. As in previous years, the water companies were also joined by the Metaldehyde Stewardship Group (MSG).
 
As well as getting the latest updates on slug pellet stewardship from the MSG, visitors could gain an insight into specific pesticide issues water companies face, and how they are engaging with farmers in their water catchments.

On the Metazachlor Matters front, the widespread use of the active was highlighted. Metazachlor is contained in products applied to two-thirds of winter oilseed rape crops in the UK, highlighting the importance of following the stewardship guidelines and taking proactive measures to protect the herbicide armoury.
 
Cereals was a great opportunity to gain a BASIS point and/or two NRoSO points by following this year’s ‘Slug Trail’ which ran between the Water UK, Certis and De Sangosse stands. The trail was extremely popular amongst visitors, and required participants to answer questions to update their knowledge of slug pellet stewardship practices.
 
Also on display were new informative graphs to illustrate when pesticides typically become a problem in watercourses; there was also a high precision pelleter with GPS technology that was used to highlight the impending regulations, requiring all pesticide application equipment – including spreaders – to be tested by 26 November 2016.