Pesticides.gov.uk
Title
Welcome to the Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD) Home Page
Description
What are Pesticides?
'Pesticide' is a broad term, covering a range of products that are used to control pests. The slug pellets, ant powder, weed killers, and rat and mouse baits that you may use in your everyday life are all pesticides. Other pesticides you may have heard of include:
Often people only think of pesticides as chemicals, but they include a huge range of different types of products. Some are natural (eg, pyrethrums, obtained from chrysanthemums), while many are altered versions of natural chemicals. If you are interested, a fuller definition of the word ‘pesticide’ can be found in the legislation that sets out the arrangements for the approval of pesticides.
Why do we need Pesticides?
Today's modern agriculture produces plentiful food, at a reasonable price, all year round. Most of us take it for granted that we can buy whatever food we want, whenever we want. We rightly expect our food to be safe and nutritious and we have also become used to food, particularly fruit and vegetables, not having any blemishes or other marks. We don’t tend to think about how farmers produce food or how it gets from the farm to the shops in "perfect" condition.
