Clopyralid survey

Clopyralid, similarly to Metaldehyde, is another pesticide difficult to remove from raw river water during the treatment process. Farmers, small holders, gardeners, amenity and the equine sector all use Clopyralid to clear land of broadleaved weeds while leaving surrounding grasses unharmed.

 

 

Due to high levels being seen in drinking water protected areas last year, ADAS were commissioned to undertake a survey helping understand the breadth of Clopyralid use and identify the general pesticide handling practices being carried out across the different sectors - possibly resulting in losses to the environment.

 

Delivered via a mixture of online, telephone and face to face interviews the survey reached a total of 246 participants in just under a month. The report provides a unique data set not only on this individual pesticide but the broad decision making processes and pesticide handling practices being carried out by both professional and non-professional users across our region.

Some of the key findings from those surveyed include:

 

  • 41% of farmers did not know if they were in a Surface Water Safeguard Zone
  • 11-30% of farmers did not have a plan of farm drains
  • A small percentage filled sprayers via a hose connected to the mains without a double check valve
  • The most commonly targeted weed species were identified for all sectors
    Garden Centers and local Country Stores were the most common places non-professionals purchased pesticides (top three clopyralid containing products were for lawn weed and feed purposes)
  • Those respondents with grazing land used professional products with only 38% having received training
  • 58% of non professionals diluted weed killers from concentrate with 19% using a method that would allow pesticides to easily enter the drainage network
  • Over 36% of non-professionals do not wash out their empty sprayer or containers (before disposing in household waste or recycling) and worryingly 16% who do tip the washings down the drain!.

 

One comment being:

The water company can treat pesticides so its good practice to wash everything out over a sink, leave cleaning to the professionals.

The Catchment Team are using this information to highlight those actions/decisions or lack of understanding which pose greatest risk to our drinking water resources and plan an approach to reduce these risks at source.

 

We have also created leaflets aimed at educating the garden and amenity sectors about best practice in pesticide usage which are available to download.

 

Useful information

File icon Equine herbicides information leaflet
File icon Using chemicals in the garden