UK: Brexit pesticide hopes dashed

Any lingering hopes a vote for Brexit would make British growers immune from Europe’s list of banned agrochemicals were dashed at Potatoes in Practice by SRUC consultant Dr Stuart Wale. Speaking at the event near Dundee, Dr Wale said it was highly unlikely that the industry would see much change in the registration of agricultural chemicals after the UK left the EU. “We won’t be in a much better position because we’re going to need to trade into the EU in the future. Potato growers will have to look outside agrochemicals in order to remain competitive in future,” he said. “Or at least they’ll need to find integrated ways of keeping problems at bay, and some of this means biological methods which aren’t always as reliable as you’d hope. We’ve set up an Agri-EPI Centre for precision farming as one way of getting over the issues of reduced pesticides in the future.” More