Farmers urged to complete crop protection management plans

The NFU is urging all farmers who use pesticides on their farm to complete a Crop Protection Management Plan (CPMP) and show their continued support for the Voluntary Initiative.

NFU Vice President Paul Temple said: "It is clear from the thousands of CPMP returns we receive from across the UK and the success of the VI that the farming industry takes pesticide stewardship very seriously. However, it is important that we continue the good work so that we can demonstrate to Ministers that farmers and growers use pesticides responsibly.

"By completing CPMPs farmers are not only helping themselves by identifying any changes necessary to minimise the environmental impact of the pesticides they use, they also play a major role in demonstrating how the voluntary approach can lead to the adoption of best practice and thereby minimise the risk of further regulation. It is vital we receive as many CPMPs as possible because it is the only way we can measure how many are completed each year and ensure the VI targets for the CPMP are met."

Copies of the CPMP can be obtained from the VI website http://www.voluntaryinitiative.org.uk/Content/CPMPs.asp or from NFU CallFirst on 0870 845 8458. Farmers are urged to return copies of the summary sheet (inside back cover) to the NFU by fax on 02476 858501 or by post, or complete it online via the VI website.

A current CPMP is required or recommended by many farm assurance schemes. Although all management plans were recently removed as points scoring options from the Entry Level Scheme in England, this only affects farmers who joined the scheme from February 1 2007. Those who chose a CPMP as an option and joined prior to this date must complete one annually as part of their ELS agreement.