The implications of the major changes on pesticides regulations planned by the EU will be spotlighted at a meeting involving growers and producers next week.

The Scottish Society for Crop Research (SSCR) is holding a meeting at the headquarters of Scotland’s leading crop researchers, SCRI. Scientists and specialists will discuss how the important UK soft fruit industry can cope with the loss of some of the pesticides upon which it currently depends.

In recent years sales of soft fruit in the UK have gone through the roof. In 2006 sales reached £204 million in the UK. Sales of raspberries went up by 26% to £35 million. The “berry bonanza” is credited to an increasing public appetite for healthy food.

The main speakers at next week’s session will be discussing the changing EU pesticide regime and the regulations which will are expected to come into law from 2010. They’ll hit soft fruit growers in the UK from 2011 onwards.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) research at SCRI is being developed as a practical alternative to pesticides. IPM is a pest control system that uses a variety of complementary strategies including mechanical devices, physical devices, genetic, biological, cultural management, and chemical management.

This technology is deployed in three stages: prevention, observation, and intervention.

It is an ecological approach with a main goal of significantly reducing or eliminating the use of pesticides while at the same time managing pest populations at an acceptable level.

The Scottish Society for Crop Research’s Soft Fruit Sub-committee represents much of the UK’s soft–fruit industry (particularly those involved with cane and bush fruits), with members drawn from the country’s production, advisory and retail sectors.

The Soft Fruit Sub-committee ensures that the researchers at SCRI are fully informed and up-to-date with the rapidly changing technical and commercial developments within the soft fruit industry and also the political pressures facing soft-fruit growers today.

The SSCR soft fruit section is holding its annual meeting at SCRI on Wednesday 25 February 2009. The meeting starts at 1.30pm and is open to anyone involved or interested in the UK soft fruit industry.

More information from:

Phil Taylor, Head of Communications, SCRI, Invergowrie, Dundee, DD2 5DA. Tel: 01382 560044 (direct line), Mobile: 07810 860 701 or

Lorraine Wakefield, Information and Online Service Officer, SCRI, Invergowrie, Dundee, DD2 5DA. Tel: 01382 560047 (direct line) or 562731 (switchboard).