It is estimated that losses of £45m – £100m per annum could occur in agriculture if molluscicides were not used.
Slugs are damaging pests of UK crops and control is achieved using molluscicidal pellets. Current pellets are inefficient, polluting and improvements to their design are urgently required. The molluscicide metaldehyde is frequently detected in surface water at concentrations greater than predicted during the regulatory approval process, and it presents a challenge for water treatment.
The Metaldehyde Conference aim is to better understand these multi-faceted challenges to industry, farmers, regulators and the water industry, and to discuss the science required to give better and safer slug control.
Confirmed speakers include:
• Ian Boyd (Defra) - "Science underlying pesticides policy"
• John Haley (UKWIR) - "Metaldehyde - 10 years of progress"
• Steve Ellis (ADAS) - "How much slug damage can crops tolerate"
• Richard Reynolds (Anglia Water) - "Managing Metaldehyde:Anglia Waters experience"
• Tom Bradshaw (NFU) - "An integrated approach to slug control"
• James Moir (York University) - "Selection and characterisation of diverse metaldehyde-degrading bacteria reveal a novel shared degradation pathway"
• Liana King (Newcastle University) - "Bioengineering metaldehyde removal"
• Alexandra Cooke (Severn Trent Water) - "Farm to Tap: Can catchment management deliver metaldehyde water quality improvements?"
• Carmel Ramwell (Fera Science & IAFRI) - "Environmental fate of molluscicides"
• Colin Brown (York University) - "Presence of metaldehyde in rainfall: evidence and interpretation"
• James Shucksmith (University of Sheffield) - "Forecasting surface water metaldehyde levels in drinking water catchments following rainfall events"
• Gordon Port (Newcastle University) - "The problem with pellets: A slug’s eye view"
• Andrew Benniston (IAFRI) - "Binding and detection of Metaldehyde in water"
• David Werner - TBC
• Frazer Black (CHAP) - TBC
Attendance at the conference is free.
Space will be available for sponsor exhibits. If you and your organisation wish to discuss sponsorship for this event please contact steven.hall@newcastle.ac.uk
