Increase the uptake of integrated pest management across Scottish agriculture to minimise risks and impacts of pesticides to the environment in line with the UK National Action Plan on the Sustainable Use of Pesticides.
Objective 3: Embed nature positive Farming, Fishing and Forestry
Priority Action 14. Ensure increased uptake of high diversity, nature-rich, high-soil carbon, low-intensity farming methods while sustaining high-quality food production
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a requirement within Scottish agricultural policy and is included as part of the Whole Farm Plan framework being phased in for farm businesses. IPM plans are required to demonstrate prevention, monitoring, and targeted pest control approaches and are intended to support reduced reliance on plant protection products.
The Scottish Government Whole Farm Plan guidance confirms that IPM plans must be completed and updated annually as part of farm business requirements, and are applicable to all farms using plant protection products.
The Scottish Plant Health Centre IPM Assessment Plan provides a structured scoring system (0–100) to measure IPM adoption across farms and track changes over time, enabling assessment of practice uptake at farm level.
Academic advisory evidence from Scottish Government-supported analysis identifies variation in IPM adoption across Scotland, with higher uptake reported in arable systems and lower uptake in mixed and livestock-dominated systems, indicating uneven implementation across sectors.
There is no published national dataset currently available that aggregates IPM uptake across all Scottish farms or provides publicly reported progress against national-level adoption targets.
Integrated Pest Management is defined in Scottish and UK agricultural policy as an approach that reduces reliance on chemical pesticides through monitoring, prevention, and use of biological, cultural, and mechanical controls, thereby reducing environmental risk.
IPM implementation is intended to reduce pesticide inputs and associated environmental impacts, including risks to biodiversity, water quality, and non-target species, by replacing routine chemical use with targeted interventions based on thresholds and monitoring.
Scottish evidence on IPM uptake shows variation in adoption across farming systems and regions, with higher uptake in arable systems and lower uptake in mixed and livestock systems, indicating that environmental benefits are not yet evenly distributed across the agricultural landscape.
Taken together, this evidence shows that IPM has a clear mechanism for reducing pesticide-related environmental pressures, but current adoption is inconsistent across Scotland’s farming systems. As a result, ecological benefits are likely to be partial and variable rather than system-wide, limiting overall contribution to biodiversity recovery at landscape scale.
Scottish Government – Whole Farm Plan (IPM requirement)
Farm Advisory Service – Integrated Pest Management Plans
SRUC – Integrated Pest Management Plans
Plant Health Centre – Scottish IPM Assessment Plan
Scottish Government – IPM Advisory Panel Report
SEFARI – Integrated Pest Management Research
Develop a routemap (end of 2025) for soil security in Scotland including a review and update of Scotland’s Soil Framework and action/implementation plan (2030).
Develop evidence-based Soil Health Indicators that can be considered for inclusion in Whole Farm Plans and Forest Management Plans.
Undertake an evidence-based update of currently available information and advice on biodiversity management to farmers/land managers, to ensure it is up-to-date, clear and easily accessible.
Improve information for land managers on how to assess and interpret soil erosion risks and implement measures to avoid erosion (and other impacts on soil health related to climate change), including: i) the impacts of extreme rainfall drought events on soils; and ii) maps of soils that have been subject to anthropogenic degradation and are candidates for soil improvement programmes.
Develop and promote clear guidance for practitioners on soil compaction and farm and forestry machinery contractors are engaged in ensuring appropriate use of equipment, uptake of decisionmaking tools and training, to minimise and ultimately avoid compaction damage to soils.
Set up monitoring frameworks to assess change in soil health, based on evidence from the Natural Resources theme of the Strategic Research Programme (2022-2027).
Reduce inputs of nutrients to freshwaters that cause enrichment impacts on biodiversity, by controlling both diffuse and point source pollution through effective nutrient management through agricultural reform and SEPA’s Priority Catchment programme, ensuring compliance with the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011 (CAR) under River Basin Management Planning.
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