The Pesticide Dilemma

One of global agriculture’s biggest challenges is the growing resistance to many of the pesticide products used across the industry. Although prevalent across the whole sector, this challenge is particularly acute in insects and weeds. As a result, farmers and growers use increasing levels of pesticides to prevent total crop loss or damage which has a negative impact on biodiversity.

Pesticide resistance poses a significant threat to the UK’s food security. A prime example of this is oil seed rape production, where the inability of farmers to control cabbage stem flea beetles has led to the lowest average crop yields since 1983, meaning the UK is now unable to produce enough rape seed for national use and is heavily reliant on overseas imports.

In a bid to tackle this problem, the government published the new UK Pesticides National Action Plan in March 2025. It sets out the ambition for more sustainable pesticide use that protects the environment and human health, alongside a hope of boosting food production in the long term. The plan outlined three key pillars:

1. Integrated Pest Management: Encouraging farmers, growers and land managers to adopt nature-friendly farming techniques and alternative measures to decrease reliance on chemical pesticides. ​
2. Pesticide Load Indicator: Introducing new metrics to monitor and track trends in the potential pressure pesticides place on the environment, with a target to reduce each of the 20 metrics by at least 10% by 2030, using 2018 as a baseline.
3. Pollinator Protection: Building on previous actions, such as the ban on neonicotinoid pesticides harmful to bees, to support ecosystems where pollinators can thrive, thereby boosting crop health and food production

Businesses developing innovative technologies and alternatives to pesticides are clearly aligned with the government’s policymaking priorities and have an exciting story to tell about how their products make a significant contribution to protecting biodiversity and increasing food production. There is a significant opportunity for these businesses to contribute rigorously to policy discussions to shape policy change and become an industry voice in pesticide innovation and sustainable agriculture.

If you’d like to discuss this in more detail, including how GK Strategy can support you with government relations and communication, please contact James Allan.

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