Latest news with #IntegratedPestManagement
CBC
14-06-2025
- Health
- CBC
Keeping Dutch elm disease in check
In August, 2024, Dutch elm disease was found in Edmonton for the first time. Since its introduction from Europe to North America in the 1930s, the disase has destroyed millions of elm trees. Mike Jenkins tells what plans the city has for managing the pest this summer. He is a senior scientist in the city's Integrated Pest Management Lab.
Irish Examiner
12-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Teagasc to demonstrate field vegetable crop establishment and band-spraying at Crops Open Day
A live field vegetable crop establishment and band-spraying demonstration will take place in Teagasc Oak Park on Wednesday, June 25, as part of the Crops Open Day 2025. The Teagasc Horticulture Development Department are hosting the event and have invited growers and industry to attend. The demonstrations will take place at the Teagasc Crops Research Centre in Oak Park on June 25, running from 9am to 11am. Some of the latest developments and commercial machinery for planting/drilling brassicas, root crops, alliums and cucurbits suitable for various farm scales will be demonstrated live. The aim of the event is to demonstrate commercial and innovative equipment for establishing quality crops as quickly and as labour efficiently as possible. This will be increasingly important in attempting to establish crops between adverse weather events, particularly in the spring. Speaking ahead of the demonstration, Head of the Teagasc Horticulture Development Department, Dr Michael Gaffney, commented: 'Labour costs in the field vegetable sector increased by 7.7% in 2024 and make up approximately 40% of the cost of production, while labour availability also continues to be a challenge. 'Continued adoption of innovative technology that requires less labour input and/or improves quality, and output is key for the sustainability of the field vegetable sector," he explained. Band-spraying demonstration In addition to the crop establishment demonstration, a band-spraying demonstration will also take place to show how growers can meet the requirements of the new label of root crop fungicide SL567A. The use of a band-sprayer is now required when applying this product and this demonstration will inform growers of the correct approach to applying this fungicide. Specialised Vegetable Advisor with Teagasc, Eoin Sweetman, said: 'Various technologies are available to achieve banded spraying, including very specialised equipment but it is also possible to modify existing sprayers to achieve a banded spray, which will be demonstrated on the day. 'Apart from band-spraying to meet label requirements, targeted applications of SL567A or other products such as liquid fertilisers reduces product usage, improving efficiency and sustainability.' The Teagasc Horticulture Development Department will also present poster boards of some ongoing research in the areas of sustainability metrics for the horticultural sector, measuring Integrated Pest Management adoption and microbiological food safety. This is the second field vegetable demonstration at the Crops Open Day following the mechanical weeding demonstrations at the Crops Open Day in 2023 and is an event not to be missed for growers and industry.
Business Recorder
05-06-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Punjab seeks tax relief for cotton industry
LAHORE: Punjab Agriculture Minister Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani disclosed on Wednesday that talks are underway with the federal government and the prime minister to remove income and sales tax from the cotton industry. He hoped that these taxes will be removed in the 2025-26 budget with the aim to make cotton farming more profitable for growers. The Minister was addressing a delegation of the Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association which called on him at the Agriculture House. Sharing the strategy adopted by the Punjab government this year to enhance sowing of cotton, the Minister informed the delegation that one million acres of land previously used for rice have been shifted to cotton this year. The Minister also threw light on Cotton Campaign 2025–26, early sowing, early operation of ginning factories, cotton pricing, taxation on local cotton, and the enforcement of the Cotton Control Act. During the meeting, the Cotton Ginners Association shared the challenges currently facing the industry. Member of Provincial Assembly Rana Saleem and Punjab Agriculture Secretary Iftikhar Ali Sahoo were also present. Speaking on the occasion, Minister Kirmani said that cotton is Pakistan's main cash crop. Following the vision of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, the Agriculture Department has introduced effective measures across the province, especially in South Punjab, to revive and stabilize cotton production. As a result, cotton cultivation has improved significantly, and the area under cultivation has increased. He declared this year as the 'year of cotton revival.' To promote cotton farming, the Agriculture Department launched a strong awareness campaign. Between February 15 and March 31, an ambitious goal of sowing cotton on one million acres was set and successfully achieved - a milestone not reached in the last 10 years. So far, cotton has been cultivated on 3.3 million out of the targeted 3.5 million acres, and efforts continue to reach four million acres. The department conducts third-party verification to ensure transparency in meeting targets. The Minister urged ginners to adopt modern technology, noting that many factories still use outdated methods that reduce the international demand for Pakistani cotton. He stressed the need to upgrade ginning processes and assured full government support for introducing new technology in the sector. Punjab Agriculture Secretary Iftikhar Ali Sahoo said that this year, demonstration plots were established in South Punjab where Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques were fully implemented. He also noted that the private sector took responsibility for supporting cotton farming at the tehsil level, setting a positive example. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Agriland
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Agriland
Less pesticides won't make food production more sustainable
Some weeks ago, the UK launched its Pesticides National Action Plan (NAP) 2025; its objective is to reduce pesticide usage for environmental and human health reasons. While it recognises that farmers need the tools to grow food and the merits of Integrated Pest Management – or Integrated Crop Management (ICM) – it is missing some critical points. That's according to independent agronomist and deputy managing director of the farmer-owned cooperative, Scottish Agronomy, Greg Dawson. 'If we focus too narrowly on chemical reduction targets without considering their real-world implications, policy makers may unintentionally make growing food in the UK less sustainable – practically, economically, and environmentally,' Dawson said. The agronomist added that farmers have generally become hardened to the fact that the toolbox is being repeatedly squeezed, and each new policy and plan will take away another input they rely on to produce food at scale. But if it goes too far, it will make primary production in the UK unviable or unattractive to be in, he explained. 'We saw in Denmark how the introduction of a pesticide tax, in addition to an already stringent regulatory process, disincentivised the use of a specific multi-site fungicide for the control of potato blight,' he continued. 'Strains emerged that were more aggressive and adapted to overcome plant resistance and compromised the activity of some of the remaining fungicides. 'In some cases, crops failed to achieve a marketable yield which is the worst case for environmental and economic sustainability. 'These strains have now spread throughout the northern European potato-producing area placing even more pressure on ICM plans,' he added. In the UK, the reorganisation of Plant Protection Product regulations post-Brexit resulted in the removal of the only options for grass weed control in winter oats, a crop that has a great health story for Scotland, according to the agronomist. 'A swathe of our members stopped growing them in response,' he said. The Scottish Agronomy representative went on to point out that the UK is doing an amazing job, where the effective use of agrochemicals is concerned. Between 1990 and 2020, synthetic inputs in the UK have reduced by 60%, while they have increased by 90% globally. 'No responsible producer would want to see unfettered use of synthetic inputs. But they have been a strong part of the UK's food narrative since the much lauded post-Second World War Green Revolution,' Dawson continued. '…[T]he innovations in plant breeding and the introduction of chemical fertilisers and pesticides which increased yields, feeding a growing population, improving standards of living and suppressing food prices. 'They still have an essential place today.' Dawson has pointed to a conundrum that now confronts arable farming in the UK. While the aforementioned NAP recognises the importance of ICM (referred to as IPM), it fails to appreciate that it is a strategic approach with multiple tools that rely on each other. 'The clue is in the word 'integrated'. Without, or with limited, chemistry, one of the legs of the stool has gone,' he explained. 'Crop rotation, variety choice, and drilling dates are key components of ICM but their effectiveness to reduce weed, pest, and disease pressure is supported and protected by the use of plant protection products, and critically, multiple modes of action. 'Ongoing withdrawals and regulatory constraints are eroding our ability to fully utilise one important suite of tools effectively, and that has consequences for the others too.'
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sysco 2024 Sustainability Report: Responsibly Managing Pests
NORTHAMPTON, MA / / April 16, 2025 / Originally published in Sysco's 2024 Sustainability Report Now in its 20th year, Sysco's Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program encourages responsible growing practices. This includes using pesticide and nutrient inputs responsibly, conserving energy and water, and minimizing waste. It applies to Sysco Brand canned and frozen foods, such as frozen fruits, vegetables and potatoes. As of FY2024, the program included more than 17,600 growers and 59 suppliers covering more than 1 million acres of field. Overall, growers who applied IPM principles reported avoiding 6.1 million pounds of pesticides throughout the growing season. About Sysco Sysco is the global leader in selling, marketing and distributing food products to restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, lodging establishments and other customers who prepare meals away from home. Its family of products also includes equipment and supplies for the foodservice and hospitality industries. With more than 76,000 colleagues, the company operates 340 distribution facilities worldwide and serves approximately 730,000 customer locations. For fiscal year 2024 that ended June 29, 2024, the company generated sales of more than $78 billion. Information about our Sustainability program, including Sysco's 2023 Sustainability Report and 2023 Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Report, can be found at For more information, visit or connect with Sysco on Facebook at For important news and information regarding Sysco, visit the Investor Relations section of the company's Internet home page at which Sysco plans to use as a primary channel for publishing key information to its investors, some of which may contain material and previously non-public information. In addition, investors should continue to review our news releases and filings with the SEC. It is possible that the information we disclose through any of these channels of distribution could be deemed to be material information. To learn more about Sysco's commitment to sustainability, visit our webpage For full details about Sysco's 2024 Sustainability Report, visit here. View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Sysco Corporation on Contact Info:Spokesperson: Sysco CorporationWebsite: info@ SOURCE: Sysco Corporation View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire Sign in to access your portfolio
