Confronting pesticide
safety issues
SCI Pest Management Group: Making pesticides easier to
use and more effective
London, 26 October
 Pesticides
are registered for use only after the careful consideration
of a vast amount of toxicological, environmental and efficacy
data. The most toxic chemicals are no longer permitted in
the UK. Despite this, pesticide usage receives an immense
amount of criticism due to public perceptions of their safety.
Most of the criticism relates to the presence of residues
in food and water, even if most samples contain no residue,
and when a residue is present it is nearly always below the
maximum residue level (MRL).
Currently the new waste management regulations are also affecting
the safe disposal of pesticide containers. Considerable concern
has also been expressed about spray drifting from treated
fields and affecting people and their environment downwind
of sprayed fields.
In response to a public consultation, a ministerial statement
in the UK announced that the Royal Commission on Environmental
Pollution will carry out a special study to examine the scientific
evidence, on which DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs) has based its decisions about the risks
to people from pesticide exposure.
Farmers still need effective pesticides, but the way in which
they are formulated and applied is constantly undergoing change
as we develop new technology. Making pesticides safer to handle
and apply will be the subject of an SCI meeting in October.
Assessing airborne sprays in our environment will be among
the topics discussed, together with information on new formulation
techniques and the use of seed treatments to avoid spraying
small plants. The possibilities of closed transfer of pesticides
using returnable containers — to minimise operator exposure
and overcome the container disposal problem — will also
be discussed.
To attend the event or to find out more information, contact
Jacqui Maguire on E: jacqui.maguire@soci.org
or T: +44 (0)20 7598 1562, or book
online.
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