New poll finds public uneasy about pesticide use

NFU senior regulatory affairs adviser Dr Chris Hartfield said: “While there is huge uncertainty around implementation and transition periods, and a Brexit deal, it is reasonable to expect significant alignment between UK regulation and EU regulation on pesticides for some time.

“The NFU wants the UK to adopt a more evidence-based approach.

“In the meantime, British farmers remain committed to continued high levels of consumer and environmental protection, which they achieve by having food production standards that are among the best in the world.

“The amount of pesticides used in the UK has halved since 1990.

“Farmers continue to adopt an integrated approach to pest management which sees them use a mixture of traditional and modern farming methods to deal with problems and ensure the use of pesticides is kept to a minimum.”

Josie Cohen, head of policy and campaigns at the Pesticide Action Network, told Farmers Guardian it was clear UK citizens did not want more pesticides in their natural environment.

“Brexit is a once in a lifetime opportunity to drastically cut the amount of agrochemicals we use”, she added.

“The government should realign its support to help farmers transition to truly sustainable non-chemical alternatives, including techniques such as Integrated Pest Management.”