Encouraging conversations to help keep resistance at bay and spray tools working is the focus of an upcoming awareness campaign A Lighter Touch is launching later this month.
Drawing on humour to grab attention, the industry-backed resistance management campaign Keep what works, working will appear nationally across all media channels and in rural reseller stores, from July 20.
The campaign encourages growers to keep resistance management front of mind and talk with advisers before the season starts about how to extend the effectiveness of the agrichemical tools they rely on.
Every time good resistance management is not practised, pests, diseases and weeds have another opportunity to adapt and develop resistance. Over time, products growers rely upon lose efficacy and eventually stop working.
By having conversations with their advisors before the season starts, growers can discuss how to make resistance management practices part of their crop protection programmes in order to help keep these tools available for the coming season and the seasons that follow.
All A Lighter Touch sector partners and other crop sectors are supporting the campaign and will be helping encourage grower-advisor conversations. In addition PGG Wrightson/Fruitfed Supplies, Farmlands, Horticentre and the ICD Group are also throwing their weight behind it, with posters and educational material in-store. A toolkit of resources has been developed for advisors to use when discussing resistance management with growers and is available on the ALT website.
ALT is funding the campaign which has been developed with cross-industry support, including growers, scientists, crop protection companies, resellers and sector bodies. All of industry is encouraged to support the campaign through their own communications channels and help amplify the campaign message.
