Provision of an investigation into the effects of modern pesticide application techniques on residues in food

Pesticide application techniques have changed over time with newer techniques becoming more prevalent (drones, shroud sprayers, spot spraying) to have more targeted applications and improve crop yields. Similarly, current data requirements address indoor or outdoor uses but more recently temporary covers, fleece and rain covers are being used. The impact of these technique changes on pesticide residues in crops is not well understood and precautionary approaches are used in the absence of other data/solutions. Consideration of how these factors can be proportionately handled in risk assessments is needed. This project involves investigating the impact of a range of application techniques and crop growing conditions on pesticide residues in food.