Recent data suggests that pesticide use is actually increasing in the UK. While the weight of pesticide amounts has decreased, the toxicity (how powerful a pesticide is) has increased. Since 1990, the exposure of the UK public and environment to pesticides has increased in the following ways: The toxicity of [...]
Some people do advocate for an immediate ban on all pesticides. However, from our years of working with farmers and councils, we have found that a phasing-out process is more conducive to long-term success in the adoption of alternatives. Farmers in particular need help to make a transition to a [...]
The government carries out a survey of pesticide use every year which they publish on the Pesticide Use Survey Statistics (PUS STATS) website. The data they publish only covers pesticides in detail by type (i.e. herbicides, fungicides, insecticides and so on). Crucially, this is only measured by weight and not [...]
We advise that you avoid all pesticides unless they are certified or approved for organic use. There are thousands of different substances that are used in agricultural land management, but in terms of chemicals available to individuals that are still sold in garden centres, there are a few notable ones [...]
The agricultural sector is the predominant user, using pesticides in the growing of crops which, in turn, can make their way back to consumers as a mix of residues on produce, pesticide drift if living in rural areas and through contaminated water sources. Pesticides are also used by councils and [...]
‘Pesticide’ is an umbrella term for any substance which is designed to control a pest or disease. Types of pesticides are: herbicides (designed to kill plants), insecticides (kill insects), fungicides (kill fungi), rodenticides (kill rodents), molluscicides (kill mollusks) and nematicides (kill nematodes), but also include synthetic plant growth regulators (modify [...]
