NINETY-EIGHT per cent of arable crops were treated with pesticide last year, with a combined weight of 1,490 tonnes, a new government survey into pesticide usage has revealed. The figures were disclosed in three reports published by Scotland’s chief statistician: pesticide use on arable crops and potato stores in 2016, pesticide use on soft fruit crops in 2016 and rodenticides on arable farms 2016.
Fungicides were the most frequently used pesticides on arable crops, followed by herbicides and insecticides. Overall, pesticide application was very similar to that reported in the previous survey in 2014.
For the first time information was collected about grower adoption of integrated pest management (IPM) measures in relation to risk management, pest monitoring and pest control.