DRAFT MEDIA RELEASE
Friday August 28 2009
VOLUNTARY INITIATIVE AND
ENVIRONMENT AGENCY AGREE
PARTNERSHIP FOR PESTICIDES AND
WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE
The Environment Agency and key sponsors of the industry-led Voluntary Initiative
(VI) have agreed a partnership approach to implementing the pesticide aspects of the
Water Framework Directive.
Recognising the challenges posed by the implementation of the Directive, VI sponsors
met recently with the Environment Agency and highlighted the contribution the VI
could make. As a result, the VI will work with the Environment Agency using
voluntary measures to continue to improve standards of pesticide use and to target
specific catchments where pesticides have been identified as posing a risk to the water
quality meeting the requirements of the Water Framework Directive objectives.
Commenting on the agreement, Dr Paul Leinster, Chief Executive of the Environment
Agency, said: “We look forward to continuing our work with VI sponsors to reduce
the impact of pesticides on the environment. We want to see continuing improvements
in the use and handling of pesticides, as well as addressing specific catchments where
water quality is adversely affected by pesticides. This will help deliver improvements
in water quality and deliver other environmental benefits.”
Speaking on behalf of the VI sponsors, NFU Deputy President Meurig Raymond said:
“We welcome the Environment Agency’s recognition of the Voluntary Initiative and
its commitment to work with us on a voluntary approach. The VI has shown that
voluntary measures can work. The uptake of schemes like the sprayer testing scheme
has been impressive and real results have been gained in reducing the amount of key
pesticides reaching water.
“However, we recognise that there is more to do to ensure uptake of best practice
advice and to secure the environmental outcomes that are necessary. We strongly
believe that voluntary measures can help us to reach the challenging targets set by the
Water Framework Directive and we must work closely with all partners to make sure
that the necessary behaviour changes are made.”
Notes for editors:
1. The Voluntary Initiative (VI), which was set up in 2001, is a programme of
measures, agreed with Government, to minimise the environmental impact of
pesticides.
2. The VI has successfully established the National Sprayer Testing Scheme, the
National Register of Sprayer Operators and the use of Crop Protection
Management Plans as well as trialling and promoting a range of water
protection measures. In 2008 NSTS tested sprayers were responsible for
spraying 86 per cent of the arable acreage, there were 19,967 members on the
NRoSO register and crop protection management plans covered over two
million hectares of land.
3. The VI has also operated catchment scale pilot projects for a number of years
to develop and implement mitigation measures which demonstrably reduce the
impact of pesticides on water.
4. Environmental regulation is the responsibility of the Scottish Environment
Protection Agency (SEPA) in Scotland and the Department of the
Environment Northern Ireland (DOENI) in Northern Ireland
5. 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. To date nearly £60 million has been invested in the scheme by the
agricultural industry.
Contacts:

Patrick Goldsworthy, Voluntary Initiative Manager, 07711 416 312,
patrick@goldsworthyassociates.com

NFU – Paul Chambers: 02476 858522

Environment Agency – Farooq Mulla, Senior Press Officer –
Environment and Business: 020 7863 8610
Issued by the NFU, Agriculture House, Stoneleigh Park, Stoneleigh,
Warwickshire, CV8 2TZ. Press Officer: Chris Pryke
Telephone: 024 7685 8686 FAX: 024 7685 8651 ISDN: 02476 416289
Http://www.nfuonline.com