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An arable farmer in Lincolnshire, Peter Lundgren stopped using neonicotinoid pest controls 15 years ago and adopted management that actively encourages ‘beneficial’ insects in and around the farm’s cropped fields.

Many farms have out of date or unwanted chemicals in store, which can be costly and difficult to dispose of safely. If stored inappropriately and over a prolonged period, containers can degrade and leach their contents. Unsafe disposal and leakage cause serious pollution in our waterways, affecting insects and other wildlife. Between January and March 2020, the Medway Valley Countryside Partnership, with the support of the National Farmers Union and a range of funders, ran a Pesticide Amnesty to collect and dispose of over 3,500 litres of out-of-date or illegal chemicals across the Medway catchment, which covers 1,857 km2 of Surrey, Kent and East Sussex.

Wadebridge Town Council stopped spraying weeds in March 2016 and their Parks team and contractors no longer use any kind of pesticide. Instead, in managing their four large grassed areas, including three parks and a cemetery and the roads and pavements around town, they use a self-drive brush weeder, gas flame, strimmer and hand weeding, which they find to be as effective as chemicals.

We have pollinators to thank for every third mouthful we eat. Not only do they pollinate our food crops, but they’re also vital for the survival of other wild plants that support so much of our wildlife. The Wildlife Trusts are working to save bees and pollinators. Found out how you can help save butterflies and bees.