The Potential Impact of the Water Framework Directive on the Use of Pesticides in UK Agriculture

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) places a statutory obligation on European Union Member States to ensure that all water bodies are of good chemical and ecological status by 2015. This represents a significant challenge and will require considerable changes to be made to the ways in which we manage land. It has been identified that the WFD may have a number of implications for pesticide usage in UK agriculture. As the Competent Authority, the Environment Agency is likely to seek to reduce concentrations of those pesticides most frequently detected in water bodies. A number of mechanisms has been identified that may be used to do this. The formation of the National Pesticides Strategy and River Basin Management Plans will help to define how management of pesticide use in UK agriculture is likely to evolve.