Irish Water has seen an increase in glyphosate and 2, 4-D pesticide in water supplies which indicates greater application by amateur users, its regional drinking water compliance specialist Dr Pat O’Sullivan has told the Irish Farmers Journal.

He is critical of the ease with which members of the public can buy pesticides which are tightly regulated for use on farms.

“Increased numbers are visiting their local hardware and garden centres, picking up pesticide for lawn weeds while there. It’s sold carefree, like a packet of sweets,” O’Sullivan said.

“You can’t but pick up the stuff while in buying your garden rake. On the other hand, farmers are required to have a licence to purchase these same chemicals. The pesticides you find in these gardening products are just as harmful for our water supplies.”

The Irish Water official said that advice had been primarily aimed at farmers in the past but there has been a recent change in its campaign to focus on all users.

MCPA breaches

In Co Monaghan, Stranooden group water scheme (GWS) has identified 63 MCPA breaches in its catchment during the past six months.

“Application advice has been directed solely at farmers, with great improvements made. My understanding is that amateur users are now driving up our exceedance figures,” Ross McDonald, the scheme’s source protection officer, told the Irish Farmers Journal.

“Amateur users are applying these chemicals on buttercups and dandelions in the lawn, whereas the farmer is using them to increase productivity and improve grazing ground for their livestock.”

In a survey conducted by Stranooden GWS, 14 products sold within the catchment were found to contain MCPA, with seven directed at domestic garden use.

The source protection officer has called for amateur users to be informed of the harmful impacts associated with the misuse of pesticides such as MCPA.

Delays

Dr Aidan Moody, head of the pesticides registration division with the Department of Agriculture, told the Irish Farmers Journal that there have been significant delays in the processing of results for water samples sent abroad this year.

“The delay in these results means it will take quite a while before we will see the full picture for 2020.

“Currently it is estimated that 20% of all pesticides on the market in Ireland are for non-agricultural use. This figure is hard to estimate as there is currently a gap in the data.”

The Department has said a survey will be issued to all users to gauge where pesticide products are used and for what purpose. It is hoped that the data will be made available in 2021.

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