§ Lord Melchettasked Her Majesty's Government:
In view of the widespread concern about the effects of spray and vapour drift of herbicides, what they are doing to encourage the development and adoption by farmers of techniques for pesticide application which are designed to reduce the risk of spray drift.
Earl FerrersI have personally been concerned with an extensive and continuing campaign during the past nine months to alert farmers to the potential risks of damage which may result from any form of herbicide drift, and to ways of avoiding it. On 19th March I met senior representatives of the Agricultural Research Council, the Agricultural Training Board, the British Agrochemicals Association, the British Crop Protection Council, the National Association of Agricultural Contractors, the Agricultural Engineers Association and the National Farmers' Union in order to consider how best to overcome the problem of damage which can be caused by herbicide spray drift. As a result, my department gave widespread circulation within the farming community to an explanatory leaflet.
In addition, my department's advisory initiatives and publicity lay special emphasis on the method of avoiding risks, for example, by the adoption of sensible management techniques and the effective use of applicators, as well as on the careful selection and use of the most appropriate herbicides taking into account the time of the year, prevailing weather conditions and the stage of growth of potentially susceptible crops in the vicinity of spraying operations. Current research and development programmes include the development of improved application techniques and associated investigations into the scope for reducing the amount of herbicide which is applied and for increasing the proportion which is deposited onto the crop for which it is intended.