Families are being recruited as ‘slug scouts’ during half term as scientists work to fight back against the number one pest found on farmers’ fields.
The public can request a free kit to trap and collect slugs from dark, moist spots from farmers' fields before posting them to researchers at the John Innes Centre (JIC).
Experts at the Norwich-based centre are working to develop novel methods of pest control, providing farmers with an alternative to using chemical slug pellets.
Slugs are arable farming’s biggest pest issue which, without adequate control, can cost the industry up to £100m every year.
Farmers urgently need alternative control measures that are effective, sustainable, environmentally and and economically viable
Schools have proved a help in the past, with pupils teaming up to build special ‘slimeries’ where slugs gather and can be easily collected and sent in to benefit science.
But more slugs are needed to continue the work, which is part of the Defra-funded SLIMERS (Strategies Leading to Improved Management and Enhanced Resilience Against Slugs) project.
This is a three-year £2.6 million research programme involving more than 100 UK farms and six partners.
“We received a terrific response when we put out calls for help last year,” said Tom Allen-Stevens, the founder of the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN), which provides the kits.
“Our researchers now need more slugs and we’re looking for special skills from those who volunteer to help this worthy cause.
"What we need are grey field slugs (Deroceras reticulatum) – the ones that really give farmers a headache. So we’re calling on those who can identify the right ones to send them in.
“The weather might be a wash-out, but that means slugs will be on the move and putting the nation’s food supply under threat."
The research being carried out is set to improve slug control, reduce pesticide usage and make sure more of the crops grown by farmers end up on consumers’ plates.
Anyone interested in becoming a 'slug scout' should contact info@bofin.org.uk with their name and address, or sign up at www.slimers.co.uk.
