Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in farming
Find out what IPM is and how to access funding and information to help apply it on your land.
Applies to England
IPM is a sustainable approach to managing pests, weeds and diseases on your land. It can be used by all farmers, growers, and land managers.
The aims of an IPM approach are to:
- support healthy crops using a range of plant protection methods
- support resilient and sustainable agricultural production
- help manage pesticide resistance
- encourage natural control mechanisms
- enhance wildlife and biodiversity
- reduce reliance on the use of chemical pesticides, also known as plant protection products (PPPs)
IPM has applications for professionals and amateurs. Professional sectors include:
- agriculture
- horticulture
- forestry
- amenity
How to apply IPM in farming
Prevention
You can use preventative methods to reduce the risk of pests, weeds and diseases becoming established. This can include:
- crop rotation
- encouraging natural predators
- cultivation and tillage practices (how the land is prepared to grow crops)
- growing pest and disease-resistant varieties
- hygiene measures (for example, regular cleansing of machinery and equipment)
- using trap crops to draw away pests
Monitoring
Animals and plants classified as pests or weeds may be important to the structure and function of local ecosystems. Effective monitoring ensures you only use chemical pesticides when necessary. You should choose the correct control method for your land and apply it at the right time. This can include:
- inspection of crops
- pest, weed and disease identification
- forecasting and assessing levels of pest populations and diseases
- the use of early diagnosis systems
- advice from professionally qualified individuals, advisers or agronomists
Use of thresholds
You can use thresholds which take into account pest, weed and disease pressures, region, crops and particular climatic conditions to help you decide when to use control measures.
Once a threshold, or predicted threshold, has been exceeded (such as when pest population levels, pest damage or weed prevalence become economically or environmentally unsustainable) you should take action to control the pest.
Intervention and control
The control methods you choose should be practical and effective. You can use sustainable physical, biological and chemical methods.
Physical control measures can include:
- mechanical weeding and hand weeding
- physical barriers such as netting and mulching
Biological control measures can include:
- predatory species
- biopesticides, such as using microbes or pheromones to disrupt insect mating
If you use chemical pesticides, you should use:
- the minimum effective dose and application frequency
- targeted application to minimise potential negative impacts – for example, using precision technology like spot treatments and weed wipers
Managing pesticide resistance
You can use anti-resistance strategies to maintain the effectiveness of chemical pesticides. This can include using:
- the appropriate dosage rates of pesticides
- pesticides with multiple modes of action
These strategies should be used when:
- the risk of resistance against a plant protection measure is known
- the level of harmful organisms requires repeated application of pesticides to the crops
Review and evaluation
Review the success of all plant protection and control measures regularly to ensure their effectiveness. This can be done by creating an IPM plan which you should review every year.
Creating your IPM plan
An IPM plan can help you:
- apply different control measures to your crops
- minimise the risks associated with the use of chemical pesticides
It should describe how you plan to apply IPM to your land. It can include details of:
- your land and the crops you grow
- the pests, weeds and diseases you have identified or consider to be a risk on your land
- control measures in the current season and plans for next season
You can find IPM plan templates online and you should decide which works best for you. This IPM plan template contains written guidance for certain crop types. This is optional and Defra does not require you to use this tool.
Assess your IPM approach using decision support systems (DSS)
Decision support systems can help you manage and respond to different pest, weed and disease pressures to your crops.
Decision support systems include tools for:
- monitoring and treatment thresholds
- forecasting pest density and damage
- comparing treatments
You can find decision support systems for many pests, weeds and diseases online and you should decide which works best for you. IPM Decisions may help you assess which decision support systems are relevant to your land. This is optional and Defra does not require you to use this tool.
Funding for IPM
Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI)
You can apply for funding under the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) when you implement specific IPM actions, including:
- completing an IPM plan to help increase knowledge and identify opportunities for an IPM approach
- creating habitats for natural crop pest predators
- using companion cropping to suppress weeds, reduce diseases and provide protection from crop pests
- no use of insecticides on arable or permanent crops
- precision farming
Use the FIND tool to find actions that support IPM.
Check our funding for farmers guidance for full details on available funding.
If you use pesticides professionally
If you use pesticides in a professional capacity, you must be registered with Defra. All users of professional pesticides must hold an accredited certificate (unless you are working under the direct supervision of someone who holds one).
Distributors, advisors and professional users of pesticides have access to training by bodies approved by the regulator. Find the list of UK designated bodies and recognised specified certificates here.
External IPM guidance
The following organisations offer free guidance and information (this list may not be exhaustive).
- ADAS conducts research and provides guidance
- Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board’s (AHDB) IPM hub provides IPM tools and guidance for farmers
- IPM@Hutton conducts research and provides IPM resources
- IPM Works is a network demonstrating and promoting IPM strategies
- Voluntary Initiative is an industry led scheme which provides IPM planning tools, infographics and guidance for farmers
Visiting these websites is optional - Defra does not manage or maintain these websites and cannot take responsibility for their factual accuracy. You should always do your own research when deciding whether to use external websites.
Updates to this page
Published 18 November 2024Last updated 3 December 2024 + show all updates
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Capital items for IPM are currently closed.
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First published.