LERAP and Buffer Recording

Grass And Grain

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Yorks
I have a farm practice, which is...

A rated products. 5m buffer zone.

B rated products. LERAP 3 star rated nozzles, and 1m buffer zone.

All other products. 1m buffer zone, but with noemal nozzles.

It helps if your 3 star rated nozzles are the same water volume as your flat fans. E.g. 200l nozzles. Then just twist them around if you need the 3 star nozzles along the watercourses.

Think there is something in the rules (or B rated products) which says you can't just use 3 star nozzles in the 5m at end of boom, but flat fans in rest of boom - which I can't understand their thinking. But think you can use flat fans and leave 5m unsprayed, or use 3 star nozzles across the whole boom and spray to a 1m buffer zone (B products). Not entirely certain about those rules, but I think it is a bonkers rule.

Edit. If you document that farm practice, then you don't need to bother working out percentage of product dose and the effect it has on the buffer zone. So it keeps things simple.
 

Worsall

Member
Arable Farmer
That is helpful. I was more concerned that for every application I should be writing down an Lerap assessment even if we don't reduce the buffer zone. That's a lot of paperwork, just as I am nearly paperless recording now!
 

Brisel

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Midlands
Put a 6m buffer strip into Countryside Stewardship. LERAP paperwork virtually disappears. Sorted.

I had a track refurbished with drainage grips either side to take water away, so ended up with a dry ditch for LERAP purposes. I've extended the unsown strip to well over a metre & I don't use LERAP A products anyway.
 

Worsall

Member
Arable Farmer
All the above ideas are mainly implemented, but we still have to legally write it down for every lerap A/B , Interim product label or Arthropod zone. I am asking if anyone does this, and if so how?
Just ticking box on gatekeeper is not sufficient I'm afraid if the EA were to investigate.
 

Brisel

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Midlands
I've been a bity lazy on this - I avoid products with a mandatory buffer zone in favour of those with a voluntary one. Hallmark Zeon is the principal one vs generic lambda cyhalothrin or other pyrethroid products. If I use it once on one crop each year that's the most anyway. You're innocent until proven otherwise, even though it doesn't always feel like that when they can fine you some of your BPS without proof of guilt.
 

Grass And Grain

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Yorks
I think I'm correct in saying that it is OK to have a farm policy as I said in post number 2. Well hope so, because that is what I do.

Saves writing the LERAP down every time. You would still need to identify and record if the product is an A or B product, and have a set of 3 star nozzles (which you use for the application of the B products along the watercourses.
 

Grass And Grain

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Yorks
I think (but could be wrong), that if you want to reduce the buffer zone, then you need to show how you were able to do that - by calculating % of full rate, category of product, watercourse width, type of nozzle, nd finally stating buffer zone width used for the application.

Only way of not doing all that is to either use 5m buffer zone for both A and B products, or alternatively have a whole farm policy like I detailed in an earlier post.

Think I'm correct in saying all the above ( to best of my knowledge). That said, i haven't studdied these rules for a few years.
 

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