Why should I participate?

The survey is only possible because of the goodwill of farmers kindly agreeing to participate and we would like to thank all of our current and previous participants.  It is only when we have accumulated data from across many sites and years that we can identify certain trends in pests and diseases, which is to the benefit of everyone.
 
You may choose to take part in the wheat survey, the oilseed rape survey or both.  If you agree to participate we will collect plants from across one of your fields which are then assessed by our staff for pests and diseases.  We may also make in-field assessments at various growth stages for specific pests.  Details of our assessment schedule can be found under ‘Work Package 2’ on the Work Packages page.
 
After each assessment you will receive a copy of your results which will include regional and national mean values.  All the data are anonymised before being analysed and published via a series of reports throughout the season, which are available on the website to download.  Data are added to the historical database, which spans approximately 50 years, is fully searchable and is freely accessible via the Interactive Platform. We never share data in a way that identifies individual sites or participants. 
 
There is also a short questionnaire to complete which includes agronomic details such as variety, sowing date and rotation.  The questionnaire also asks for pesticide inputs which have been applied to the selected field.  We are seeking to make this process quick and easy for participants and we are happy to receive this information in a way which suits you.  This might mean sending us your farm software output (e.g. Gatekeeper), sending the form via an email or in the post, we can collect information over the telephone or we would be pleased to sit down and complete the questionnaire with you in person.  In our experience it takes approximately 15-20 minutes to complete the questionnaire.  Please be assured that there will never be any scrutiny of the pesticide data in terms of regulation and individual farm data will not be identified.
 
We hope you will consider participating in the survey and being part of an important project.