Farmers should include grass buffer strips in their plans for oilseed rape fields which are beside water courses, advises The Voluntary Initiative (VI).
Latest evidence from the crop protection industry shows that 6m grass buffer strips can reduce pesticide loss through surface run-off by over 50%.
With national environment agencies and water companies detecting the main oilseed rape herbicides in water, extra steps including grass buffer strips are vital to protect water quality and the future use of these herbicides. And the whole industry is being urged to take action to avoid regulatory restrictions. The herbicides are vital for black grass control in wheat/rape rotations.
For maximum effect, grass buffer strips should be established at least a year before oilseed rape is sown. However, the VI advises that this season farmers should look to establish buffer strips for both 2009 and 2010 plantings of both oilseed rape and winter field bean crops.
The 6m grass buffer is recommended as the minimum on all soil types. However, in fields with slopes steeper than 5%, buffer strips may need to be increased up to 20m wide or more. Financial support for buffer strips is available through agri-environment schemes, such as Environmental Stewardship.
