A farmer's approach to the socio-economic aspects of crop protection

The period since 1945 has been one of extraordinary development in British agriculture. A period during which the science of Crop Protection has advanced from practically nothing to where it is today—an accepted and essential part of everyday farming. The speed of these developments has put pressure on the industry and on the individual farmer. At the same time the economic climate of the 1960's has sharpened the search for efficient, low-cost production. The farmer has no choice but to use every weapon in his armoury. Safeguards against misuse of chemicals seem to be basically satisfactory up to the point of sale. There is, however, the basic point of whether the food producer has grown to be too dependent on chemical control, whilst neglecting good husbandry, which may be both cheaper and more effective.