Can we continue to grow oilseed rape in the UK?

The 1st Pests and Beneficials Annual Review took place on Tuesday 16 February 2016 at Sophi Taylor Building, NIAB Park Farm, Cambridge, CB24 9NZ.

About

The OSR area has doubled in the last decade. The effects of pesticide regulation and resistance, however, are now posing a real threat to growing the crop profitably.

Pest control options are particularly limited. This Review provides the first real opportunity to hear growers’ and researchers’ experiences of the neonicotinoid restriction, and looks at the options for pest control in this crop in future.

The theme of the review was: “Can we continue grow oilseed rape in the UK?” a summary of this event can be found here

To access a pdf of the speakers’ presentations click on the speaker’s name or presentation title below 

Programme

09.30 Registration and coffee

10.00 Introduction
Caroline Nicholls, Research & KT Manager, AHDB Cereals and Oilseeds, Event Chairman

10.05 Chairman’s welcome
Peter Kendall, AHDB Chairman

10.10 Oilseed risk or oilseed reward: what the numbers tell us about this key break crop
Jack Watts, Lead Analyst for Cereals and Oilseeds, AHDB

10.40 Navigating neonics: can we really have evidence-based environmental and agrochemical policies?
Charles Godfray, Director, Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Food, University of Oxford

11.10 Refreshments

11.30 Panel discussion: chaired by Charles Godfray
Norman Carreck, Science Director at the International Bee Research Association and researcher in the Laboratory of Apiculture  Social Insects, University of Sussex
Peter Campbell, Senior Environmental Risk Assessment Specialist, Syngenta
Chris Hartfield, Chief Adviser for Horticulture and Potatoes, NFU
Lin Field, Head of Department for Biological Chemistry & Crop Protection, Rothamsted Research
Sacha White, Research Entomologist, ADAS

13.00 Lunch

14.00 Farmer and Agronomist experience from a CSFB hotspot area
James Peck, P.X. Farms
Andrew Blazey, Prime Agriculture

14.30 Danish integrated pest management strategies in oilseed rape
Jens Erik Jensen, Senior Adviser, SEGES Knowledge Centre for Agriculture, Denmark

15.00 Resistance is futile  inevitable: integrated pest management in oilseed rape
Sam Cook, Senior Research Scientist, Rothamsted Research

15.30 Closing remarks
Peter Kendall, AHDB Chairman