Spud growers to be hit hard by slug pellet ban

摘要

Potato growers are set to be the hardest hit by the European Union ban on methiocarb slug pellets, which account for about half the slug control market for spuds. Sales of these poison-bait pellets, such as Draza forte and Decoy Wetex, are set to be banned by the end of August due to the risk of killing grain-eating farm birds. The withdrawal will limit growers to two products - metaldehyde and ferric phosphate - and will leave crops more susceptible. Independent potato specialist John Sarup uses methiocarb as his number-one product against slugs and says the ban is a major setback for the potato sector. "When you look at the variety portfolio, Maris Piper is still head and shoulders above everything else in terms of the planted area and it is one of the most susceptible varieties we have, which makes the ban even more worrying," he says.