Farmers are being offered free training to improve spray efficiencies, and a free set of low drift spray nozzles as part of virtual workshop.
This December and January, Severn Trent's Swap Your Nozzles workshops, is offering farmers in priority catchments an opportunity to boost their knowledge on how to reduce spray drift and minimise the risk of pesticides reaching watercourses.鈥��
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Seven Trent principal catchment scientist, Dr Alex Cooke, says that following each training session, attendees will be offered a choice of fully funded LERAP 3* or 4* nozzles and caps from a predefined list of options.
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Attendees can also register for one NRoSO and two BASIS CPD points.
Watercourses
Each event will cover topics from legislation, Local Environment Risk Assessments for Pesticides (LERAP) and buffer zones, through to choosing a nozzle and application considerations.鈥�
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"These events are a fantastic opportunity to provide support and engage with farmers. The aim is for delegates to walk away with tools to not only improve spray efficiency, but also improve farm profitability," says Dr Cooke.鈥�
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Spray drift is just one way in which pesticides can reach watercourses, it is one of the easiest ways for farmers to protect water while reaping the rewards of reduced input costs, Dr Cooke adds.
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"Using low drift nozzles can also open up the spray window, meaning applications could be made where conditions may not be appropriate with standard nozzles," she concludes.鈥�
Dates
The training is available to all farmers in Severn Trent pesticide priority catchments. The workshops will take place on the following dates:鈥�
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Thursday December 8 2022鈥�
Friday 13 January 2023鈥�
Tuesday 24January 2023鈥�
Friday 24 February 2023鈥��
