Landowners in the UK must respond urgently to industry calls to supply 'pesticide use' information or risk losing a number of products which currently enable them to optimise the management and performance of game cover and environmental crops, warns UAP Ltd.
Chris Bean, Technical Director for one of the UK's leading providers of agronomy services and crop protection solutions, comments:
"For a number of years, landowners growing game cover crops have been able to read across to cereal and rape approvals for legality regarding the use of herbicides. This opportunity has been down to the Long Term Arrangements for Extension of Use (LTAEUs) which will shortly disappear with regards to non-edible crops (edible crop uses went in 2007).
"When this rule goes, such uses will need to be covered by individual SOLAs (Specific Off-Label Approvals) which need to be sought from the Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD). Although the exact timescale for the completion of the EU Review has yet to be finalised, this is likely to be by the end of 2008. However, if landowners wish to continue to make use of these products, then they will need to provide PSD with the details of the necessary products by Friday 14th March 2008."
The form and letter required to submit information regarding the use of crop protection products are available from the PSD's website (www.pesticides.gov.uk) or go to www.nfuonline.com/x25471.xml. Further details are available from UAP on 0845 607 3322.
Chris Bean adds: "UAP, in conjunction with the Wildlife Farming Company, is conducting its own trials to evaluate a range of newer herbicides with the potential for use on game cover and 'environmental' crops for the future. To enable their use, then some of these will also need to be approved by PSD via the SOLA route."
Substantial time and money is invested in developing and maintaining shoots, which makes it vital to optimise the performance of cover crops on which sporting and commercial success depends. There is also an increasing appreciation of the environmental benefits generated by good quality game covers, but like any other commercial crop they must be professionally managed and treated in order to deliver maximum performance.
The experience of UAP's nationwide team of agronomists is clearly that the management of game cover crops and Environmental Stewardship mixtures in terms of their establishment, nutrition and, above all, weed control is becoming more complex as the range of cover species increases and expectations regarding their performance increase, making it essential that specific crop protection products are retained for the future.
