Source · Select Committees · Science, Innovation and Technology Committee
Recommendation 21
21
Accepted
Paragraph: 135
Integrated Pest Management requires innovative approaches and commercial demonstration for widespread adoption.
Conclusion
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an important component of sustainable crop protection; however, it requires more knowledge than traditional pesticide applications. To enhance the successful implementation of IPM, it is imperative to adopt innovative approaches and new tools, such as integrating resistant plant varieties, the use of biopesticides or new pheromones, artificial intelligence decision support systems, and advances in agronomy as and when they are developed. For widespread adoption within the farming community, effective and sustainable crop protection strategies should be demonstrated at a commercial scale.
Government Response Summary
Defra agrees on the importance of IPM and commits to outlining policies to increase IPM uptake in the forthcoming National Action Plan, commissioning research projects, providing £103 million through the Farming Innovation Programme, and incorporating paid IPM actions into the Sustainable Farming Incentives scheme, with more actions coming in 2024.
Paragraph Reference:
135
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
Defra agrees that Integrated Pest Management (IPM) plays an important role in minimising the potential environmental impact of pesticides. Within the forthcoming National Action Plan for the Sustainable Use of Pesticides (NAP) we will set out our policies to increase the uptake of IPM by farmers and growers. We will work with stakeholders, including the Voluntary Initiative to implement them. We have recently commissioned a package of research projects that will bring together scientific evidence underpinning IPM and look at ways of further encouraging its uptake. This work will support farmers’ access to the most effective IPM tools available and ensure that we understand changing trends in pest threats across the UK. One example includes the IPM NET project IPM NET | ADAS which started last year and aims to create a network of farmers utilising IPM and collecting both agronomic and economic data from their farms to share with the community. It also encourages knowledge exchange between farmers and benchmarking of their data compared to their peers. Defra has committed £103 million so far through the £270 million Farming Innovation Programme for industry-led research and development in agriculture. This programme aims to drive innovation that will transform the productivity, profitability and environmental sustainability of farming in England. Farmers can now sign up for four paid Integrated Pest Management (IPM) actions within the Sustainable Farming Incentives (SFI) scheme. Three paid actions on precision application of herbicides will also be available later in 2024.