Pests & Beneficials

The BCPC Pests and Beneficials Working Group was established in March 2015. The purpose of the group is to provide a forum for discussion of relevant research results and new legislation and new legislation, and impact on integrated pest management,

The group meets three times a year and delivers an Annual Review to an invited audience, including researchers, advisers, growers and industry. The first review was held on Tuesday 16 February 2016 at NIAB Park Farm, Cambridge and comprised presentations from invited speakers on topics of current interest including: pests in oilseed rape, bees and the impact of neonicotinoid withdrawal, with particular emphasis on practical utility in agriculture and horticulture.

The 5th Annual Review is scheduled to be held on Wednesday 29 January 2020 at Rothamsted Research – for more details click here.

"Research faces challenges to improve the evidence base. Potential conflicts of interest must be overcome in addition to bias and incentives that drive research pursuits." Charles Godfray - University of Oxford

Current membership of the group is

Name Company Email address Additional information
Larissa Collins (Chair) Fera
FERA Entomology Team Leader
IRAG member
Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society
Member of the Royal Entomological Society Outreach & Development Committee
Charlotte Rowley (secretary) AHDB
AHDB  
Caroline Nicholls Defra
Defra IRAG member
Defra Pesticides Team
Tom Pope Harper Adams University
Harper Adams Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society
IRAG member
Jon Knight   Independent consultant
Defra Animal and Plant Health Advisory UK Group member.
BBSRC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Innovation Club (SARIC) member
Colin Ruscoe BCPC
BCPC Chairman, BCPC.
Director, SynTech Research.
Scientific Committee, IVCC
Nicky Tideswell CRD
CRD  
Julian Hasler NFU
NFU  
Sam Cook Rothamsted Research
Rothamsted Research Senior Research Scientist.
Society & Entomology Convenor of the IOBC Working Group on Integrated Control in Oilseeds.
Alan Dewar Dewar Crop Protection
Dewar Crop Protection  
Chris Parsons Bayer Crop Protection
Bayer Agronomic solutions manager for arable herbicides and insecticides for the UK and Netherlands.
Andy Evans SRUC
SRUC  
Chris Hartfield NFU
NFU  
Becky Hilton Corteva
Dow  
Sacha White ADAS
ADAS Senior Research Entomologist.
IRAG secretary.
Laurence Power Certis
Certis  
Michael Thornton Procam
Procam  
Rachel Wells James Hutton Institute
James Hutton Institute Senior Scientist, Crop Genetics.
Honorary lecturer at UEA
Max Newbert Syngenta
Syngenta  
Tom Pope Harper Adams University
Harper Adams  
Contact the Group
Supported by
"Integrated pest management includes the use of insecticides but only when necessary, prolonging their active life, safeguarding the environment, maximising profit and contributing towards the sustainable intensification of OSR crops"
 Sam Cook - Rothamsted Research
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