Commodity watch by senior policy officer Patricia Erwin
The Water Catchment Partnership (WCP) was established in 2013 to help address significant water quality issues in Northern Ireland (NI) related to pesticides. The WCP continues to be a proactive working partnership with representation from the following organisations:
- NI Water
- Ulster Farmers Union
- Northern Ireland Environment Agency
- Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
- College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise
- The Voluntary Initiative
The WCP continues to deliver one important message, reaching out and incorporating the aims, objectives and ethos of its members to effectively communicate and educate all on the importance of good water quality status, and in particular drinking water in water catchment areas.
The WCP members are proactively working together to effectively tackle the problem of all pesticide and chemicals in the water environment through promotion and raising awareness of best practice protocols when using all pesticides across all sectors, through a voluntary approach to improve water quality status in NI.
The WCP in 2022 is on the road again attending local agricultural shows continuing to engage with farmers and land managers helping all understand the core aspects of handling, applying and disposing of sprays safely, as well as the core principals of integrated pest management (IPM).
The WCP ask all amenity, horticulture, and agriculture users to stop and think about the water you drink.
Examples of pesticides products include weed killers, insecticides, fungicides, rodent poisons and slug pellets.
All products should only be used if necessary and that consideration is given to non-chemical methods as part of the decision tree process for control purposes. Following instructions on product labels and using responsibly will help keep water clean.
DON’T when using pesticides:
- DON’T apply pesticides near open drains, wells or springs
- DON’T perform handling operations (filling, mixing or washing the sprayer) near open drains or well heads.
- DON’T discard unused pesticides or washing down a drain or close
DO’s when using pesticides:
- DO take every precaution during mixing and preparation of pesticides for application to avoid spills and drips – a single drop can breach the drinking water limit in a small stream for 30km!
- DO read and follow product labels instructions carefully
- DO take great care when handling all products
- DO take extra care to prevent entry to drains, particularly around hard surfaces such as paths or driveways
- DO follow instruction for safe disposal of all unused product and containers
The WCP encourage all users to follow best practice and help keep NI waters clean.
Charlotte Hayes WCP, UFU president David Brown and Bronagh Mallon WCP.
Bronagh Mallon WCP, Patricia Erwin UFU policy officer, Peter Quinn WCP and Charlotte Hayes WCP at Clogher Valley Show.
