RDE357: Amenity Pest, Weed and Disease Management evidence review

Defra strategy for pesticides sets out to minimise risks to human health and the environment, while ensuring pests and pesticide resistance can be managed effectively. We want to encourage sustainable pest management practices which contribute to halting and reversing the decline in UK biodiversity. One way of achieving this will be through increased uptake of integrated pest management (IPM) across all sectors and the development and introduction of alternative approaches or techniques, to reduce reliance on chemical pesticides. To achieve this effectively for the amenity sector, we need good evidence on the characteristics and amounts of pesticides and other pest, weed and disease management practices used, as well as on how they are used.
The purpose of this proposed project is to review the extent, quality, and usefulness of available information and guidance on pesticide use and alternative protection strategies in the amenity sector. This will be used to inform development of policy and future evidence collection for this sector, ensuring that policy actions to increase sustainability of pest management are well targeted.