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RECORD NUMBERS ATTEND WATER PROTECTION WORKSHOPS

Nov23

Press Release

23^rd November 2009

RECORD NUMBERS ATTEND WATER PROTECTION WORKSHOPS

Record numbers of agronomists attended four water protection workshops this autumn clearly highlighting the importance the industry now places on the issue.

More than 270 people attended the workshops organised by the Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC), as part of the new strategic partnership between The Voluntary Initiative (VI) and the England Catchment Sensitive Farming Delivery Initiative (ECSFDI).

The pesticides and water protection workshops updated agronomists on the latest regulatory situation with regard to water protection. They included an overview of the Water Framework Directive, implications for pesticide use, data on pesticide detections in water and agronomic solutions to help agronomists tailor advice to farmers so that the risk of pesticides impacting on watercourses is minimised.

Hazel Doonan, head of crop protection at the Agricultural Industries Confederation said: “Everybody connected with agriculture knows that BASIS qualified agronomists are essential to helping farmers use pesticides carefully and we were overwhelmed by the response to these workshops.

“It shows clearly how important agronomists value the opportunity to improve their knowledge, especially at a time of the year when they are particularly busy on farm.”

A second series of water protection workshops for agronomists are being planned by AIC for early autumn 2010.

Ends

Notes to editors:

1. The workshops were held at:

§ Red Lion Country Hotel, Andover

§ East of England Showground

§ Askham Bryan College, York

§ Harper Adams University College, Newport, Shropshire

2. The Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC) is the leading UK trade association in the agrisupply industry with over 300 members in the agrisupply trade, representing £6.5 billion turnover at farmgate. The Confederation represents a number of agrisupply sectors including: Animal Feed; Crop Protection and Agronomy; Fertilisers; Grain and Oilseeds; and Seed.

The sponsors of The Voluntary Initiative are the Agricultural Engineers Association, Agricultural Industries Confederation, Country Land and Business Association, Crop Protection Association, National Association of Agricultural Contractors, the NFU, NFU Scotland and the Ulster Farmers Union.

The England Catchment Sensitive Farming Delivery Initiative (ECSFDI) is a partnership project between Defra, Environment Agency and Natural England which offers advice and support to farmers to reduce diffuse water pollution from agriculture. For further information see http://www.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/landmanage/water/csf/index.htm

Water resource constraints in 2050 – BCPC Congress tackles the issues head on

Sep14

SECTION | Water and fertilisers

News Releases

News Release

Water resource constraints in 2050 – BCPC Congress tackles the issues head on
4 September 2009

“Water resources are already vital for the production of food. With serious levels of climate change and significant population growth forecast over the coming decades, future challenges are going to be huge,” warns Andy Turner, Water Resources Policy Manager from the Environment Agency.
These are some of the issues which will be covered during the exciting final plenary session on ‘Water and agriculture – understanding the biggest constraint to global food production’ at this year’s BCPC Congress in Glasgow, UK from 9 to 11 November.

The development of new agricultural technologies is a key driver for boosting productivity especially in some of the poorer developing countries such as Africa. How successful these technologies are must be complemented by improved water usage systems and the ability to irrigate the land in order to boost production in terms of consistency, crop diversification and extending production throughout the year.

With food demand set to rise by an estimated 30% in developing countries water scarcity is likely to place significant limitations on future agricultural productivity.

“Protecting agricultural water resources is essential to meeting future global food production demands,” explains Mr Mike Wade, Executive Director of California Farm Water Coalition who will also be speaking during the plenary session. “Doing so requires a balanced approach to water resource management and that is not currently happening in California. Misguided environmental policies not only hurt farm production by restricting water deliveries, they are not improving the environmental resources they were intended to help.”

With participants from over 50 countries now booked for this year’s Congress, it is set to be a real global event attracting interest from both the technical and commercial side of the world-wide crop production and crop protection industry. And to make participation at the Congress even more worthwhile, CPD accreditation has been secured from both BASIS and NRoSO, so delegates can boost their points whilst hearing about the latest crop production developments. To see the very latest conference agenda and speaker line-up log onto www.bcpccongress.com. You can now even follow the BCPC Congress on Twitter.

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For further information contact:

UBM: Zahid Nawaz, BCPC Commercial Manager: Tel: +44 (0)20 7560 4135 or email zahid.nawaz@ubm.com

BCPC: Chris Todd, General Manager , Tel: +44 (0)1420 593 200 or email md@bcpc.org md@bcpc.org

New groundwater regulations in Northern Ireland

Aug04

SECTION | Water and fertilisers

New regulations to protect groundwater in Northern Ireland come into force on 10 August. If you discharge any substances into groundwater, find out how the regulations affect you visit

http://www.netregs.gov.uk/netregs/legislation

Defra proposes time limits for pre-2003 abstraction licences

May29

SECTION | Water and fertilisers, Water framework Directive

Horticulture Week
29 May 2009

Growers’ water abstraction licences granted before the Water Act 2003 could be time-limited in future if new Defra proposals go ahead.

New licences are issued with a time limit. Defra has attempted to encourage holders of unlimited historic licences to convert voluntarily, without success. Now it hopes to make time-limiting mandatory.

In a consultation about the proposals, Defra said the “do nothing” option is not viable. “It would hamper our ability to meet the requirements of relevant EU directives and respond to pressures such as climate change and population increase,” it said.

The consultation puts forward two other options: targeting certain licences for change, or changing all historic licences.

Licences likely to be targeted are those in catchments that are already over-abstracted or over-licensed or at high risk of reduced water availability in the future.

Licences for particular uses could also be targeted. But Defra admits targeting could be difficult to apply and its preferred option is to introduce universal mandatory time limiting, which would need new legislation.

It commented that this approach would also promote more water trading.

Keith Weatherhead, senior lecturer in water resources and irrigation at Cranfield University, said time-limited licensing had been mooted by the Environment Agency, which is responsible for managing water resources, for some time.

“The agency has got a problem – water resources are going to reduce if climate change forecasts are correct. There is an inequity issue between all the water users.”

He said growers would have to increase water efficiency and look for alternative water resources, particularly water storage.

The NFU is currently preparing a briefing paper for its members. The consultation closes on 4 August.

DNA technology to check water

May29

SECTION | Water and fertilisers, Water framework Directive

DNA technology to check water
Horticulture Week
29 May 2009

Plant experts have harnessed DNA fingerprinting to check the quality of water following the EU’s Water Framework Directive.

The technology replaces traditional use of microscopes with scores of samples that can be analysed simultaneously.

The breakthrough was made by EnPrint, a new “spin-out company” from the Scottish Crop Research Institute, based in Dundee.

“Low standards of water quality may threaten the aquatic environment, drinking-water quality and recreational water use,” said a representative. EnPrint chief executive Dr Rayne Longhurst added that medicine and forensics benefit from DNA fingerprinting technology and “we are perfectly placed to introduce a similar approach in the environmental sector”.