Careful product selection needed to keep agrochemical costs to a minimum
For key herbicide and fungicide spray applications this spring, growers are being urged to consider their pesticide selection carefully in order to keep input costs to a minimum.
Making the right choice from the portfolio of agrochemical products available could provide farmers with an opportunity to reduce costs, as well as deliver the required level of efficacy in weed and disease control programmes over the next few weeks.
That’s the advice from global agrochemical manufacturer Rotam, who says that scrutinising product performance and cost must be considered as a priority this season.
"With the wheat price where it is at the moment, and farm inputs such as diesel and fertiliser starting to rise again, off-patent equivalents can provide tried and trusted chemistry at a price advantage compared with the original brand name products," says Rotam’s Regional Manager for the UK and Northern Europe, Graham Dickinson.
"It’s fair to say that savings can be substantial. The competition provided by off-patent producers has made a range of products and prices available to growers which could lead to savings of £10 - £30 per hectare, dependent on weed and disease pressure," he comments.
Off-patent chemistries such as active ingredients metsulfuron and metsulfuron + thifensulfuron (Rotam’s broad-leaved weed herbicides Savvy and Ergon) have been used for far longer than many newer, patented products, so farmers understand how they work and trust them, believes Mr Dickinson.
And, with fewer new active ingredients coming onto the market because of the increasing costs of development, and as a result of legislation such as 91/414, high quality off-patent chemistry will be vital in providing farmers with the full spectrum of crop protection tools they need for the future, he suggests.
But there have been examples of poor quality, off-patent products put out on the market by some companies, he says. And, as one of the reputable manufacturers in the industry, Rotam has invested millions of pounds in product registration for EU countries in recent years, independently delivering new formulations of the highest quality, targeted to specific crops, pests and application systems, explains Mr Dickinson.
Suffolk arable farmer Sam Fairs agrees that this is a key time for growers to get their agrochemical purchasing right, in light of current commodity prices and the need to keep input costs down. "We used to budget on a total of £30 per hectare for our seasonal wheat fungicide applications, but last year we spent that much alone on one application of an original brand product," he stresses.
Farming out of Hill Farm, near Halesworth, Mr Fairs says that he now leaves his agrochemical purchasing decisions to one of the major distributors, who selects for him both patented and off-patent material according to his projected seasonal requirements.
"By doing it this way I am guaranteed supply, which is key, and while it may not always work out to be the most economical method of purchasing, I trust what they send to me, and so it’s peace of mind."
Mr Fairs reckons that there will always be a bit of scaremongering when it comes to formulation issues with some off-patent materials, but it’s a matter of trusting in the decisions made by agronomists, farmer buying groups or distributors.
"Last year there was an issue with the formulation of an original brand cereal fungicide, so it’s not always obvious where quality problems with products will surface," he adds.
And Graham Dickinson concludes: "As always, growers should look carefully at the label and see who’s supplying the off-patent products. Check that it is from a reputable source and that it has got approval from the CRD (Chemicals Regulation
Directorate) - details of all products can be found at their website:
"Farmers know and understand these chemistries, and therefore can calculate the costs versus the benefits of using them as part of their crop protection programmes in order to maximize returns in 2010."
