Tuesday 01 Oct 2013 @ 16:10
Scottish Government
Printable version E-mail this to a friend

Pesticide usage on farms

An Official Statistics Publication for Scotland.

Scotland’s Chief Statistician today published three reports in relation to pesticide usage on farms in Scotland. These were: Arable Crops and Potato Stores 2012, Soft Fruit Crops 2012 and Rodenticides on Arable Farms 2012.

The Arable Crops and Potato Stores and Soft Fruit reports are part of a series of surveys which are produced to estimate pesticide usage in Scotland. The arable crop report provides information on pesticide use on cereals, oilseeds, potatoes and legumes. The potato store report presents information on the use of pesticides on stored seed and ware potatoes. The soft fruit report presents information on pesticide use on soft fruit crops cultivated outdoors or under temporary protection. The crops surveyed included raspberries, strawberries, blackcurrants and other minor soft fruit crops. The Rodenticides on Arable Farms 2012 report summarises the results of a survey of rodenticide use on Scottish arable holdings. Rodenticides are used to control rodents, primarily rats.

The main findings are:

Arable Crops and Potato Stores 2012

  • The total estimated area of arable crops grown in 2012 was 528,467 hectares. This is an increase of over five percent from the previous survey in 2010.
  • It is estimated that 96 per cent of the arable crop was treated with a pesticide in 2012. Herbicides were applied to 94 per cent of the crop, fungicides to 92 per cent, seed treatments to 91 per cent, growth regulators to 38 per cent, insecticides to 25 per cent and molluscicides to 10 per cent.
  • Fungicides accounted for 47 per cent of the total pesticide formulation treated area, herbicides 28 per cent, seed treatments 10 per cent, growth regulators nine per cent, insecticides five per cent and molluscicides two per cent.
  • The overall estimated quantity of potatoes stored in 2012 was 960,064 tonnes, a decrease of 15 per cent compared to the 2010 report. Seed potatoes decreased by an estimated 17 per cent to 329,427 tonnes. Ware potatoes decreased by 13 per cent to an estimated 630,637 tonnes in storage. This may be due to the difficult harvest season in 2012.
  • Twenty percent of seed potatoes were treated in store and 35 per cent of ware potatoes.

Soft Fruit Crops 2012

  • The total area of Scottish soft fruit crops, grown outdoors or under temporary protection, in 2012 was calculated to be 1,547 hectares. This represents a 19 per cent decrease from the area reported in 2010.
  • It was estimated that 96 per cent of the 2012 soft fruit crop received a pesticide application. Ninety-six per cent of the crop was treated with a fungicide, 93 per cent with an insecticide/acaricide, 60 per cent with a herbicide, 29 per cent with a molluscicide and 29 per cent with a biological control agent.
  • Despite the 19 per cent reduction in crop area, the pesticide formulation treated area in 2012 decreased by only four per cent. This is due to an increase in the pesticide treated area in relation to crop area. For example, when crop area is taken into account, mean applications were 9.2 kg/ha in 2010 and 12.7 kg/ha in 2012, representing an increase of 38 per cent.
  • Fungicides accounted for 60 per cent of the total pesticide formulation treated area, herbicides 10 per cent, insecticides/acaricides 23 per cent, molluscicides two per cent and biological control five per cent.

Rodenticides on Arable Farms 2012

  • It was estimated that rodenticides were used on 78 per cent of arable farms in 2012, which is similar to that reported in previous surveys.
  • It was estimated that more than 99 per cent of all rodenticide use, in relation to both occurrence of use and quantity applied, was of second generation anticoagulant compounds.
  • The most frequently used compounds were bromadiolone and difenacoum. These compounds accounted for 95 per cent of all occurrences of use and 98 per cent of total quantity of bait applied.
  • The report also presents data on compliance of rodenticide users with the principles of best practice.

Notes to editors

The three statistical publications can be accessed at:

Further information on Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural statistics within Scotland can be accessed at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Agriculture-Fisheries

Official statistics are produced by professionally independent statistical staff. More information on the standards of official statistics in Scotland can be accessed at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/About


Setting the standard for RESPONSIBLE AI: A GUIDE FOR MODERN RECRUITERS