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Commercial beehives help pollination in glass house tomatoes. |
A Sainsbury’s
leaflet available in all stores outlines to the public how the company
encourages food production containing less pesticide residues: it is proving
popular. Bob Hilborn, responsible for developing ICMS at Sainsbury’s,
envisages a fundamental change in farming practice: “we are responding to the
public’s concerns about pesticides by helping to ensure the levels will be
even lower than at present.” Pesticide use in tomatoes has been reduced by
80%, indicating what can be achieved. Sainsbury’s is also trying to wean the
consumer off totally blemish-free fruit, to reduce cosmetic use of pesticides.
Sainsbury’s target is for all its suppliers, UK and
overseas, to produce under ICMS by 1996. There will be no financial premium to
growers, and it does not intend to label ICMS produce: the intention is to
establish standards.
The ICMS framework
An ICMS policy document produced in 1992 sets out
general farm management principles, intended for use in conjunction with
legislation, guidelines, and specific crop protocols. Sainsbury’s defines ICMS
as “a combination of responsible crop management practices which balance the
economic production of crops with measures which conserve and enhance the
environment.”
The guidelines include natural
rotation, adopting appropriate varieties and crop timing activities, a knowledge
of previous pest, disease or weed problems—which all help reduce dependence on
pesticides. The framework emphasises a number of farming practices:
Cultural control maintains natural
soil fertility and structure. Natural habitats should be managed and pest
predators or beneficial organisms are encouraged.
Integrated pest management, through biological and natural methods of pest and disease control, must be used as a first line of defence. Pest monitoring should include a whole-plant assessment and be assisted by sticky pest traps. Pest forecasting techniques should be used to enable prompt action to defuse potential problems. New biological techniques should be incorporated. At present biological control is mainly used in glasshouses and outdoor beans, strawberries and apples. It will be some years before it is available in vegetable production.
Post-harvest chemicals must be minimised, because of greater likelihood of residues. Further crop storage techniques need to be developed, such as the low temperature storage of potatoes.
Policy on pesticides
Synthetic pesticides are used under the ICMS
framework, but should be minimised, with clear criteria for selection, and aim
for further reductions. These include using the least toxic, least persistent
product, considered most safe for humans, wildlife and the environment.
Pesticides should be narrow spectrum and not harm natural predators or
biological control agents. Localised pest outbreaks should be spot-treated.
Sainsbury’s will not produce a non-preferred list of
pesticides, but may suggest that some pesticides are inappropriate. It believes
product developments will help: “some environmentally benign pesticides are
now being developed by agrochemical companies, which are equally keen to develop
integrated systems" said Bob Hilborn.
Monitoring
Will Sainsbury's publish the results of their residue
monitoring? The retail industry provides data to the Ministry of Agriculture's (MAFF)
Working Party on Pesticide Residues (WPPR). The WPPR has criticised the quality
of some of that data. Sainsbury's say however that their data has been judged
acceptable by MAFF.
Research
ICMS is not an off-the-shelf process. Further
alternatives, particularly for post-harvest treatment, pesticide reduction and
biological control techniques have yet to be developed, requiring more research.
Sainsbury is funding a number of research projects: one with Wye College is
investigating alternatives to methyl bromide on strawberries; another involves
nematode biological control agents, to control slugs and the vine weevil in
strawberries.
| ICMS in practice Sainsbury's supplier Van Heyningen Brothers (VHB) in West Sussex is using fewer pesticides and increasing the use of biological control agents in its glasshouse production of tomatoes, peppers and herbs. In peppers and tomatoes the company uses Encarsia (a parasitic wasp) against whitefly, Phytoseluius (a predatory mite) against red spider mite and Amblyseius (a predatory mite) against thrips. The only insecticides still used tend not to affect bumble bees. VHB can therefore pollinate tomatoes using bees, which are more effective than artificial means. This year VHB has made headway with biological control in herbs, which must be pest free for Sainsbury. Sciarid flies, a major pest, are controlled by Nemasys (a nematode worm), reducing applications of organophosphorus insecticides such as heptanophos. It is unusual to achieve pest eradication whilst using biological control - normally a predator-prey balance has to be maintained. NV Produce, another Sainsbury's supplier, has reduced pesticide use in lettuce production, both under glass and outdoors. Biological control has so far proved difficult to implement. Under glass, the company uses plastic between the lettuce and soil, which acts as a mulch and creates a dry environment against fungal build-up, reducing fungicide use by 50%. Fungicide residue levels in lettuce had previously caused concern with MAFF (see PN21 p15). |
Conclusion
While not setting specific pesticide reduction
targets, ICMS aims to minimise use. So far, developments are limited
to high value fruit and salad vegetable crops, grown under controlled
environments, where it is easier to introduce biological pest control. A
reaction is waited from the wider arable sector. What will be the impact on
small-scale growers? If ICMS is dependent on high investments what support will
be given to the small producer by powerful retailers? Sainsbury's say that
smaller growers among their suppliers have welcomed ICMS guidance. (DB)
CWS Launches Integrated Farming
Britain’s largest farming
concern, CWS Agriculture, which owns or rents 18,500 hectares, is
experimenting with integrated arable farming.
CWS, part of
the same group as the Co-op retail chain, launched Focus on Farming
Practice, a project to match modern technology with environmental care, in
June. |
[This article first appeared in Pesticides News No. 25, September 1994, pages 8-9]