The first year of the UK’s largest ever metaldehyde-free
farming trial has seen a 60 per cent drop in levels of the chemical detected in
reservoir tributaries, it is claimed.
However, levels of metaldehyde continued to exceed limits
set under European legislation in four out of the six reservoir catchments
involved in the trial.
Farmers within the natural catchments of the reservoirs in
Northamptonshire, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire have been working with
Anglian Water’s team of advisors over the past year on the ‘Slug It Out’
campaign.
The area covers more than 7,000 hectares and as part of the
campaign all farmers have agreed to use alternatives to metaldehyde to control
slugs on their land.
The trial was launched to look at how levels of metaldehyde
in rivers and reservoirs could be brought below the strict European standard of
0.1 micrograms per litre (or parts per billion) in treated water.
The first year of the trial saw 89 farmers signing up to
take part – a 100 per cent uptake. The trial area covered 7,679 hectares and an
estimated 1,613 kg of metaldehyde was removed from the farmed landscape.
Levels of metaldehyde detected in the Hollowell and
Ravensthorpe Reservoirs in Northamptonshire were compliant with regulations and
remained below the statutory limit during the trial’s first year. In Alton
Water in Suffolk, Ardleigh Reservoir near Colchester, Pitsford Water in
Northamptonshire and Grafham Water in Cambridgeshire there were still
exceedances but overall levels were reduced significantly.
The average levels of metaldehyde in reservoir tributaries
across all the catchments fell by 60 per cent, while the average peak levels
detected within the reservoirs fell by 26 per cent.
Lucinda Gilfoyle, catchment strategy manager for Anglian Water,
says: “What the first year of our trial has revealed is that by working
together we can reduce metaldehyde levels in raw water sources – but that
removing metaldehyde from the fields is not the silver bullet solution some may
have hoped for.
“We know that a more detailed and longer term strategy is
needed if we are to comply with pesticide regulations, and we will be building
on these results as we move forward to help identify the package of measures
needed.”
Article provided by Teresa Rush, Editor of Arable Farming Magazine. To view more stories like this why not subscribe to FGinsight.com
