At a time when people with gardens of all sizes are busy, an appeal has been issued for care to be taken in the use of pesticides, especially close to drinking water sources. There has been significant progress in recent years in reducing the impact of pesticides on drinking water sources, according the National Pesticides and Drinking Water Action Group (NPDWAG), made up of Government, farming and sporting organisations, such as golf clubs. In 2022, there were 48 pesticide exceedances detected in public drinking water supplies as part of Uisce Éireann’s public water supply monitoring programme, from a total of more than 35,000 samples. Four catchment areas, where Uisce Éireann has found recurring pesticide exceedances from monitoring programmes, are prioritised for action. As well as helping to protect water quality, not using pesticides also has multiple wider environmental benefits.

Source: Irish Examiner June 23, 2023 06:47 UTC