Northern Ireland tillage farmers urged to join pesticide usage survey
The Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) in Northern Ireland is surveying arable growers on pesticide use in 2025/2026. The results will inform sector policy and track progress under the UK Pesticides National Action Plan.
Arable farmers in Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom, are being encouraged to take part in a pesticide usage survey run by the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI), the region's scientific body for agriculture and food. So far, 724 letters containing a survey form have been sent to growers.
What the survey asks
Farmers must list the agrochemicals they used over 2025/2026 and the actual application rates. The product categories cover all herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, desiccants (crop-drying agents), growth promoters and slug control products.
AFBI says the survey is intended to give farmers a voice, reflect their pesticide needs and support further research. The findings will inform pesticides policy at the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), with the aim of keeping arable crops viable and protecting local food security. They will also be used to track Northern Ireland's progress against the objectives of the UK Pesticides National Action Plan 2025.
All details will be strictly confidential. AFBI may phone farmers for further information, but nothing about individual growers or their pesticide use will be passed to DAERA.
Expert comment
Dr Archie Murchie, head of AFBI's Plant Health and Integrated Pest Management branch, said the results would provide baseline data on pesticide usage and that accurate data is essential for managing active ingredients. He stressed that local growers' voices matter because Northern Ireland farmers must comply with both UK and EU pesticide rules. He added that the region's climate means different needs from many EU countries, with higher fungicide and desiccant requirements than much of Europe.
Background
Tillage farmers face growing pressure to adopt integrated pest management, while the range of commercially available crop chemistries keeps shrinking. This reflects the cost of developing new agrochemicals and ever higher approval standards set by authorities in the EU and UK. The trend is most evident in the potato sector, where the availability of blight control products remains under severe pressure.
