Machinery manufacturer Lemken will stop production of its conventional field sprayers at the end of this year, the firm has announced.
The Germany company said that following over 10 years of operating in this field it had 'not reached a market-relevant size'.
The legal requirements in each of the firm's markets were 'increasing and becoming more and more disparate', it added.
CEO Anthony van der Ley said: "This means that there is no single Lemken field spraying standard that can meet our quality standards and the variety of customer preferences, with which we could achieve a satisfactory production run.
"We are also seeing that, even from a consumer standpoint, the boundaries for chemical crop care products are becoming ever higher.
"Although we introduced several future-focused new models at the last Agritechnica, and our team is extremely motivated by the great reception, we are choosing this moment to break from our field spraying range in a responsible manner."
Lemken will instead focus on strengthening its mechanical weed control and selective crop care business.
Its sprayer production site in Haren, Germany will also be converted and extended for drilling and precision drilling technology.
Van der Ley said there was a 'trend' to meet the increasing demand for mechanical weed control with intelligent controls.
“The environment is changing very fast right now. This is why farmers and contractors are now positioning themselves, whether they farm organically or conventionally, and are choosing the best model for them to be able to farm smartly and sustainably.
"It is a future theme for all of us, to ensure global food security despite environmental restrictions," he said.
