Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support research into natural defences against unwanted vegetation in public places.

One of the actions Defra introduced in the recently launched UK Pesticides National Action Plan (NAP) is to gather more data on pest, weed and disease management in the amateur and amenity sectors. This will allow for a better understanding of pesticide use, the sectors’ contribution to overall pesticide load on the environment, and how widespread integrated pest management (IPM) approaches are currently. IPM aims to reduce reliance on pesticides by making use of lower risk alternatives and promoting natural processes.

Last year Defra completed an evidence review to understand better the barriers to IPM uptake in the amenity sector. In the wake of this review, Defra recently funded an update to the Integrated Weed Management guide produced by Parks for London. This will be published this year and will be available online, providing access to key tools to help amenity managers control weeds effectively and sustainably.