Pesticide usage survey

Over the last 40 years pesticide usage data has and continues to be collated from across Great Britain. Fera's Pesticide usage survey (PUS) team plays a leading role in this, applying their skills, knowledge and experience to gather the data, produce guidelines and create powerful, accessible databases for industry.

Use the menu below to jump to a section that interests you:

• PUS team and their work
• Team surveys
• Full list of usage surveys
• On-Line Pesticide Usage Statistics
• Live Interactive Agronomic Information Service On the Net
• Guidelines for the collection of pesticide usage statistics
• CAP reform: potential for effects on environmental impact of farming

PUS team and their work

Official surveys of pesticide usage on a variety of agricultural and horticultural crops were started in 1965, following concerns over the use of organochlorine insecticides. With the introduction of the Food and Environment Protection Act in 1985, the post registration monitoring of pesticides became a legal requirement, and in 1990 the government's independent Advisory Committee on Pesticides fixed the programme of surveys such that arable surveys are conducted every other year, with all other crop groups surveyed on a 4 yearly cycle within England and Wales. A similar team collects usage data in Scotland.

Data are collected by a team of 4 experienced surveyors who make personal visits to holdings across England and Wales. Similar data for Scotland are also collated in York to provide information for Great Britain as a whole. All holdings are selected from a random sample, stratified by holding size and region. The information is collected on a field by field basis for each crop and is then raised using data from the annual agricultural census returns to give national estimates of usage.

As a result of these surveys, the team holds 40 years' worth of pesticide usage data that can be attributed to both time and space.

Team surveys

The Team surveys ten broad commodity groups:

• Arable crops and Set aside
• Grassland and Fodder crops
• Outdoor vegetables
• Orchards and Fruit stores
• Soft fruit
• Hops
• Mushrooms
• Protected crops [i.e. in glasshouses] (both edible and ornamental)
• Outdoor bulbs & Flowers
• Hardy nursery stock

Data are also compiled on usage in:

• Farm grain stores
• Commercial grain stores
• Potato stores
• Sheep dips
• Aerial spraying

Additional data are compiled on Rodenticide usage on:

• Arable farms
• Farms growing grassland and fodder crops
• Rodenticide usage by local authorities

A ten year review of pesticide usage across all crops throughout Great Britain is also available.

The team has repeated a survey of sprayer practices in 2004 on arable farms throughout the United Kingdom, first carried out in 2001, in order to provide the Crop Protection Association (CPA) with a further assessment for development of the Voluntary Initiative (VI) and its aims to reduce the risk of water contamination and increase farm biodiversity.

A full list of published reports are available. Abstracts from scientific papers and an insight into our contribution to current research in pesticide usage and other survey work are also available.

On-Line Pesticide Usage Statistics

Our summary pesticide usage statistics are available on-line, by active substance, crop group, times treated and other features.

Live Interactive Agronomic Information Service On the Net

Fera's LIAISON system is a fully interactive, web-based database of UK pesticide approvals, label information, MRLs etc.

Guidelines for the collection of pesticide usage statistics

On behalf of EUROSTAT, the Statistical Office of the European Community, the survey team have drawn up guidelines on the collection of pesticide usage statistics for use in member states. These guidelines have also been adopted by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development).

CAP reform: potential for effects on environmental impact of farming

The Pesticide Usage Survey has also contributed to a scientific review for Defra on the impact of the CAP reform proposals. The work concentrated on the potential environmental impact of changes in pesticide and fertiliser usage on farms as a result of these proposals. An executive summary of this report is available.

Contact

for more details on this work.

Pesticide usage surveys are funded by the Chemicals Regulation Directorate.