January 2013 revised crop protection management plan What s New? The Crop Protection Management Plan (CPMP) for 2012/13 has been significantly revised and shortened in order to focus on the key aspects of pesticide stewardship. The plan has been adapted to consider the differing situations between those in assurance schemes and those who are not in assurance schemes. As a result two different CPMP's have been produced and you will need to decide which plan is most suited to your situation (see completing CPMP information below). The CPMP has been updated to ensure all legislative and best practice changes have been incorporated. The CPMP is currently only available in PDF form from the NFU website. This form must be printed and submitted by post or e-mail. However this is an interim measure and it is intended that an online version of the CPMP will be available by May which can be completed and submitted online. How to complete the CPMP 1. Last year s action plan Before completing your new CPMP it is important that you take time to look at your action plan from the previous year. The CPMP is a self -assessment tool which aims to identify key areas for improvement. Identify which actions you have completed and which actions you will need to complete over the next year. 2. Completing the CPMP Two CPMP's are available to complete, you should select the most appropriate CPMP form for you. Option 1 - OCCASIONAL USER CPMP - This form is designed for occasional users (including those in livestock based assurance schemes) it will most adequately cover users of knapsacks and, small boom sprayers, those applying slug pellets or whose arable land is sprayed by contractors. Option 2 - CROP ASSURANCE SCHEME CPMP - This form is designed for farmers in combinable cropping and produce assurance schemes and covers opportunities to improve current pesticide stewardship. The CPMP is divided into sections each section focusing on different issues related to pesticide stewardship. The CPMP should ideally be completed with an agronomist but it is quite possible to do on one s own. It is very important to involve the sprayer operator in completing the CPMP on sections relevant to spray operations. Each section is made up of a series of questions requiring a Yes or No answer. Underneath the main question there are a list of options, generally if you answer No to the main question you will not need to complete the options underneath, if you answer Yes you should go through the measures underneath and select ALL the measures that apply to your farm. Please note that you can select as many measures as you like as long as they correspond with the practice on your farm. A final box is given for suggested actions and you should aim to improve any No answers you have given in the following year as these most often will represent poor practice. 3. Submission When you have completed your CPMP it is very important that you submit your summary sheet to the NFU: Fax a copy to 02476 858 501 or post to CPMP returns, Policy Services Dept., NFU, Agriculture House, Stoneleigh Park, Warks CV8 2TZ. e mail the summary sheet to cpmpreturns@nfu.org.uk Make sure your CPMP is registered using one of these methods. It is essential for the VI to measure how many CPMP s are completed each year and calculate the area they cover. Helping the VI meet its targets helps demonstrate to ministers that farmers and growers use pesticides responsibly and avoid further legislation.
This form is designed for farmers in combinable cropping and produce assurance schemes and covers opportunities to improve current pesticide stewardship Planning & Storage Level of stewardship No Yes Suggested action (Intended implementation date) 1. Have you taken steps to identify and protect the farm's biodiversity features? (such as hedgerows, beetle banks, water courses) Have you a plan of yard drains to ensure risk of point source pollution is reduced I have used voluntary or formal schemes to protect all water courses with buffer strips Use insecticides with minimal effect on beneficial insects or consider use of alternative biological controls if available. 2. Do you know which water catchment you are in? 3. Do you have a specific awareness of pesticide issues within your local catchment? http://maps.environment-agency.gov.uk/wiyby/wiybycontroller?ep=maptopics&lang=_e NOTE: Information on your local catchment can be found on VI website, Environment Agency What's In Your Back Yard (WIYBY) or SEPA 4. Do you adopt management practices to prevent pesticides getting into water? 5. Use cultural control methods to help reduce the need for pesticide applications? 6. Do you or your BASIS qualified advisor consider the environmental impact of plant protection products when choosing them? Minimum 6m sown buffer zones alongside oilseed rape fields and winter bean fields- VI recommendation Tramlines are established and run across and around slopes Use Tramline ticklers or over sow tramlines to reduce run-off Beetle banks or grass strips established across slopes Use Crop rotations incorporating break crops Use soil management techniques to control problem weeds e.g. deep ploughing. Stale seed bed. Select varieties that have resistant traits Identify biological control methods that can be used as complements to existing control strategies. Use VI Water Protection Advice Sheets (WPAS) where appropriate Choose formulations (e.g. granules) or packaging to reduce the risk of spills and splashes Select products and package size to minimise waste Avoid using products with foil seals where possible Use insecticides with minimal effect on beneficial insects if available. NOTE: Please see www.voluntaryinitiative.org.uk for VI Water Protection Advice Sheets Legal requirement Training Level of stewardship No Yes Suggested action (Intended implementation date) 7. Have you undertaken any environmental management training including IPM in the past 3 years? Participating in courses/seminars with strong environmental content Continually developing new knowledge and understanding e.g. use of internet Significant expertise or formally qualified person on farm e.g. BETA qualification
Filling area Level of stewardship No Yes Suggested action (Intended implementation date) 8. Do you have a designated mixing and filling site? Always use an induction bowl with a portable spill tray / bund Do you avoid driving over filling area or have a bunded filling area Diverting drainage to an sealed container for authorised disposal if necessary Mixing and filling is done on an area that drains to a lined biobed Spray operation best practice Level of stewardship No Yes Suggested action (Intended implementation date) 9. Do you adopt practical solutions to stop pesticides getting into water when spraying? 10. Utilise precision farming to improve input efficiency and crop management? Consider timing of application to minimise risk Spray headlands last to avoid driving over sprayed area Enter field at the top of the slope if practical Remove mud from tyres before leaving field to avoid carrying pesticides out of the field e.g. grass area by gate Avoid spraying when drains are running Avoid spraying when heavy rain forecast Keep boom as low as possible without impairing efficacy Reduce forward speed while maintaining dose, volume and spray quality Always use appropriate low drift technology or techniques if product efficacy is not impaired Adopt a strategy to monitor harmful organisms e.g. crop walking Only spray when pest thresholds exceeded Low drift nozzles Use of field mapping to target input application Cleaning Level of stewardship No Yes Suggested action (Intended implementation date) 11. Do you clean and dispose of empty pesticide containers in the right manner? 12. Do you follow correct procedures to dispose of dilute pesticide (see note below) and clean the sprayer? Triple rinsing to avoid hazardous classification Dispose of foil seals securely Slug pellet bags are shaken out so they are visibly clean Storage of empties via a licensed waste contractor/suitable recycling on annual basis Containers burned in drum incinerators with SEPA exemption (Scotland only) Internal cleaning of sprayer when moving to different crop, washing disposed off correctly Legal requirement Legal requirement Suitable cleaning agent always used for internal cleaning Sprayer kept under cover when not is use Washings disposed of by using a lined biobed Sprayer kept under cover on lined biobed when not in use NOTE: External cleaning locations include under dosed area of field, biobed or authorised grassed area 13. Is your equipment checked and serviced every 3 months?
OPTIONAL QUESTION: If Metaldehyde is identified as a problem in your catchment Do you take precaution to avoid slug pellets reaching water courses? Do you or the operator? Assess the need for chemical treatment e.g. test bait with appropriate bait See www.pelletsarepesticides.co.uk for further information Use a risk assessment to highlight high risk fields and areas Check if field drains are flowing in drained fields prior to application (if appropriate) Have the appropriate NPTC qualification Calibrate the applicator according to product, rate and spread width Have a 6m no pelleting zone alongside all water courses Fill the machine in the field where practical Maximum of 210 g ai/ha of Metaldehyde applied from 1st August to 31st December (i.e. 7kgs/ha of a 3% pellet) Clean up any spills immediately Use alternative products in high risk situations Store the machine undercover when not in use Level of stewardship No Yes Suggested action (Intended implementation date)
Action Points from last year- What have you achieved? Personal Action Points Next Year Please provide any additional not covered in CPMP