Insecticides are commonly used in Scottish agricultural, horticultural, forestry production, and for amenity and natural environment management purposes. Over the last 10 years, approximately 50% of UK insecticide active substances have been withdrawn due to increasing concern over human health and environmental impacts. Some of these losses will be mitigated by using alternatives but their practicality and cost under Scottish conditions is unknown. Given the likelihood that regulatory restrictions on pesticide usage will not be reduced, widespread adoption of IPM might offer a way to reduce reliance upon at risk pesticides.

This project will deliver an expert review of available literature to identify the insecticides of concern to Scotland and their association with current practices. This targeted review will identify available alternatives and their efficacy, and any interdependencies and evidence gaps will be identified. A key outcome of this call will be case studies of the alternative methods adopted by stakeholders to mitigate the impact of insecticide withdrawal, combined with desk-based and expert opinion and analysis on their efficacy, practicality and cost.

The use of pesticides to control plant pests and diseases is a key management intervention across plant health sectors, particularly in agriculture, horticulture, and commercial forestry. Pesticide withdrawals through legislation, coupled with increased insensitivity, have emerged as key concerns for Scottish plant health stakeholders. To meet this stakeholder need, the PHC commissioned a project to quantify the impacts on Scottish plant health arising from pesticide withdrawals and set this in the context and time frame of alternative management tools (PHC2018/15: Potential Impacts Arising from Pesticide Withdrawals to Scotland’s Plant Health). The key outcomes from this project are that for all the plant health sectors (as above and including natural environment) the withdrawal of key substances will have a significant impact on the ability to manage pests, weeds, and diseases effectively and economically. For soft fruit and field vegetables in particular, production will be significantly affected and may become uneconomic. This project builds on data and results from this previous PHC project and will use case studies to understand likely impacts and their mitigation.