Slug killer to be banned
Use of the slug killer metaldehyde is to be banned from spring 2020, the Government has announced.
The product is widely used in farming and professional horticulture, and is a staple part of gardeners’ armoury to protect plants from the ravages of slugs and snails. The decision to prohibit use of the product, except in permanent greenhouses, follows advice taken from the UK Expert Committee on Pesticides and the Health and Safety Executive that metaldehyde poses an unacceptable risk to birds and mammals.
Overuse of the products in agriculture led to significant amounts of metaldehyde being found in water courses.
The news was met with disappointment by the farming industry, with the NFU saying it will have a ‘major impact on British farmers and growers’. The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board has estimated the looming shortfall in slug control measures could cost UK crop production £100 million a year.
Outdoor use of metaldehyde will be phased out over 18 months to give growers time to adjust to other methods of slug control. It will be legal to sell metaldehyde products for outdoor use for the next six months, with subsequent use of products allowed for a further 12 months.
When the ban comes into force gardeners will only have use of products containing ferric phosphate and biological control through use of eelworms in products such as Nemaslug. Both are endorsed by organic gardening bodies such as Garden Organic and the Soil Association, with recommendations the former product is only used sparingly and as a last resort.
Traditional methods, such as broken egg shells, grit, copper tape and mulches, were found to offer little control after research unveiled by the RHS last year. The charity recommends gardeners encourage natural predators or employs other cultural controls, such as physical removal, traps or scientifically proven deterrents like nematodes. It says its garden advice will also now be updated to reflect the new changes.