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‘Slug sleuth’ farmers in England help develop prediction tool to cut back on pesticide use
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‘Slug sleuth’ farmers in England help develop prediction tool to cut back on pesticide use

The Guardian · Jun 21, 2026, 11:00 AM

Key takeaways

  • Slug damage to wheat and oilseed rape crops is estimated to cost almost £44m a year in the UK.
  • Prefer the Guardian on GoogleFarmers believe they have a new weapon in their age-old battle against the slugs that destroy their crops: modern technology.
  • Slug prediction maps, which have been created by computer models as part of an research project, are now helping growers to better target the use of pesticides, saving them money and reducing environmental harm.

Why this matters: a developing story that could shape the day's news cycle.

Slug damage to wheat and oilseed rape crops is estimated to cost almost £44m a year in the UK. Photograph: Sandra Standbridge/Getty View image in fullscreen Slug damage to wheat and oilseed rape crops is estimated to cost almost £44m a year in the UK. Photograph: Sandra Standbridge/Getty Business‘Slug sleuth’ farmers in England help develop prediction tool to cut back on pesticide use Maps created as part of Defra-funded Slimers project allowed test growers to halve amount of slug pellets used

Prefer the Guardian on GoogleFarmers believe they have a new weapon in their age-old battle against the slugs that destroy their crops: modern technology.

Slug prediction maps, which have been created by computer models as part of an research project, are now helping growers to better target the use of pesticides, saving them money and reducing environmental harm.

Article preview — originally published by The Guardian. Full story at the source.
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