Pesticide diary of a single wheat crop

SEPTEMBER 20, 2012 THE seed is treated with an insecticide and fungicide, Redigo Deter. This contains clothianidin, a type of chemical called a systemic neonicotinoid. These chemicals make the plant poisonous to pests. It is also claimed that they make plants poisonous to bees, so they are banned on flowering crops such as oilseed rape. A wider ban is proposed. SEPTEMBER 28 A SLUG pellet containing metaldehyde is applied. This chemical affects the slugs’ ability to make mucus, leading to their death. Farmers using it are warned that the product, called TDS Major, is ‘dangerous to game, wild birds and animals’. OCTOBER 26 OSAREX W, another type of metaldehyde slug pellet, is applied.

NOVEMBER 2 TDS Major slug pellets are applied again. Then two herbicides — Dictate, which prevents broad-leaved plants photosynthesising properly, and Fidox, another product aimed at broad-leaved weeds — are sprayed. NOVEMBER 6 IN THE same week, Liberator, another herbicide to tackle weeds, is applied. Also sprayed is Gandalf, an insecticide to kill aphids and midges. JANUARY 10, 2013 TDS Major slug pellets are applied again. MARCH 6 SULPHUR Gold fertiliser is applied, containing ammonium sulphate and ammonium nitrate — these provide nutrients needed by plants. APRIL 8 Nitram fertiliser, which contains ammonium nitrate, is applied. Two growth regulators are sprayed to make wheat stems grow short and strong, reducing the risk of them falling over. APRIL 23 MORE fertilisers, this time called Bittersalz and Nutri-Phite. APRIL 30 THE fertiliser Nitram is applied again. This is followed by two fungicide sprays, Bassoon and Kingdom, containing the chemical epoxiconazole. Some laboratory animal studies of this have linked it to cancer, but fungicide manufacturers believe that as used in the field it poses no danger MAY 7 MORE sprays. One is the fungicide Bravo 500, containing chlorothalonil, to treat potential leaf diseases. Again, some laboratory studies have found evidence of a link between chlorothalonil and cancer, but manufacturers and the authorities have found that as used it poses no risk. Then the fungicide Adexar is applied, again containing epoxiconazole. Then comes the stem-strengthener Quintacel 5C again, along with herbicide Oxytril CM. MAY 27 THE fungicides Bassoon and Bravo 500 are sprayed again. JUNE 19 A FINAL dose of a fungicide called Cello is used. Among the risks to farmworkers is a ‘possible risk of harm to the unborn child’, according to the product safety information. The wheat crop is harvested soon afterwards.