CONFERENCE SPECIAL
RESIDUE FREE BY 2050? Words by Geoff Lewis. Photos by Trefor Ward
Plant & Food senior scientist, Dave Rogers, discussed developing new Integrated Pest Management Strategies (IPM) for both conventional and organic production systems as part of the Residue Free by 2050 session
Consumers and regulators, both domestically and in export markets, are increasingly demanding food that is free from chemicals, is grown sustainably and is ethically produced. They are often willing to pay a premium for this food too. This makes the production of highquality produce more challenging. Many chemicals used to protect crops against horticultural pests, weeds and fungi, have been phased out in recent years in an effort to produce food that has minimal chemical residues or is free from residues. However, New Zealand’s horticultural crop producers realised this was a problem in 2015, when many of the crop protection products they relied on had not been replaced with readily available product substitutes. An initiative called A Lighter Touch was developed – a sevenyear, $27 million programme led by representatives from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), The Foundation for Arable Research (FAR), HortNZ and Zespri. The programme looks to find ways ahead in the identification and development of new crop protection methods, techniques and products.
22 NZGROWER : OCTOBER 2021
On a global scale, the New Zealand market for crop protection products is small, and many fruit and vegetable crops grown in New Zealand are produced in small volumes. In many situations, the business case for registering products for use on these ‘minor crops’ didn’t stack up. There were also concerns a limited selection of crop protection products were increasing the risk that pests and diseases might develop resistance to available products. Many crop groups were proactive in funding research and working with crop protection companies, but there didn’t appear to be a long-term solution to the lack of ‘minor use’ registrations. A step-change in the industry’s approach to crop production is needed for the horticulture sector to capitalise on this opportunity. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) philosophy of pest control is founded on the principles of ecology. In practice, it involves using several control tactics based on a knowledge of the crop, pests and associated natural enemies to avoid crop loss and minimise harmful effects on the environment. Plant & Food Research Ltd says that the world is changing and with that comes increasing pressure on the world's resources. Ensuring the resilience of our food production system will be vital.
