‘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

Farmers 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.