Farmers have been asked to only use pesticides where “strictly necessary” and only after the possibility of using other control methods have been “carefully considered”.
The request has been made by Uisce Éireann and the National Pesticides and Drinking Water Action Group (NPDWAG) who today (Friday, April 28) said there had been “significant progress” in in reducing the impact of pesticide use on drinking water sources.
Latest figures also released today show there “48 pesticide exceedances” in public drinking water supplies in Ireland last year.
These figures were detected as part of Uisce Éireann’s public water supply monitoring programme from a total of over 35,000 samples.
Pesticide exceedances
But Uisce Éireann also said it had ” prioritised” four areas for “action where it had found “recurring pesticide exceedances”.
These included Belturbet, Co. Cavan, Clonroche, Co. Wexford, Newport, Co. Mayo and Foynes Shannon Estuary, Co. Limerick.
In a joint appeal issued today Uisce Éireann and the NPDWAG asked the farming community, greenkeepers, grounds keepers, and also domestic users of pesticides “to consider in each case whether they need to use pesticides at all”.
“Pesticides must only be used where strictly necessary and only after the possibility of using other control methods has been carefully considered.
“Minimising pesticide use not only helps to protect water quality but also has multiple wider environmental benefits,” they said.
Unsprayed
Uisce Éireann and the NPDWAG said leaving areas unsprayed can help native flowering plant species to grow and support a range of insects including bees and other pollinators.
“Farmers should also bear in mind that the application of herbicides reduces sward species diversity and could negatively impact on payments through agri-environmental schemes,” they added.
They also advised that if farmers believe pesticide use is necessary best practice measures must be followed to “protect drinking water sources and biodiversity”.
“Farmers and other landholders dealing with the challenge of rushes should note the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) guidance on the sustainable management of rushes.
“This approach is based on the concepts of containment or suppression and aims to minimise the use of pesticides,” they added.
Pesticide use
Uisce Éireann and the NPDWAG also highlighted that if a farmer chooses to use pesticides then basic steps should be followed to reduce risks to drinking water sources and the aquatic environment including:
- Choose the right pesticide product (products containing MCPA are not approved for use in weed-wipers and are not permitted to be used from the end of September until the beginning of March);
- Read and follow the product label;
- Do not use pesticides if rain is forecast in the next 48 hours;
- Make sure you are aware of the location of all nearby water courses;
- Comply with any buffer zone specified on the product label to protect the aquatic environment;
- Avoid spills, stay well back from open drains and rinse empty containers 3 times into the sprayer;
- Store and dispose of pesticides and their containers properly;
- Never fill a sprayer directly from a water course or carry out mixing, loading or other handling operations beside a water course.