Busy summer schedule for the Voluntary Initiative celebrating our 25th birthday

29 July 2026

With recent attendance at both Cereals 2026 and Groundswell, it's been a busy period for the VI

The Voluntary Initiative at Cereals 2026 and Groundswell 2026: Supporting Farmers with Practical Stewardship and Integrated Pest Management

The 2026 events season provided two major opportunities for the Voluntary Initiative (VI) to engage directly with farmers, agronomists and industry partners: Cereals 2026, hosted at Diddly Squat Farm, and Groundswell 2026, celebrating its tenth year as the UK’s leading regenerative agriculture forum. Across both events, the VI team championed practical, evidence‑based approaches to stewardship and Integrated Pest Management (IPM), helping growers navigate evolving expectations around sustainable plant protection product (PPP) use, water protection and resilient crop production.

🌾 Cereals 2026: Practical Stewardship for Modern Arable Farming

Cereals 2026 brought thousands of growers together for two days of technical learning, demonstrations and discussion. The VI’s presence focused on supporting farmers with the tools, knowledge and confidence to embed stewardship and IPM into everyday practice. Over both days, 218 NRoSO (National Register of Sprayer Operator) members and 134 BASIS members completed technical Knowledge Trail questionnaires on the VI stand.  Many of the questions of the KT questionnaires were based on our new handouts, both double-sided and laminated for use with a dry marker pen.  These are our revised spray tank mix guides/NSTS Sprayer check lists and our Pesticide checklist cab card developed in association with Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) of Natural England.

The VI Cereals Stand

At 12.00 on the first day (10th June), Neal Evans (VI), Ian Foreman (NSTS), Mark Jelley (former winner) and head judge Iain Lindnsey (Syngenta) as the judging panel, met with and escorted the three FSOOTY (Farm Sprayer Of The Year) finalists, James Cracknell (High Park Farms, Suffolk), second time finalist Jack Williams (W.J Watkins and Sons, Hereford) and first time FSOOTY entry Scott Harrod (HJA Farming Ltd, Norfolk) to the Sprays and Sprayers Arena.  The FSOOTY cup and other trophies were presented by Sarah Iveson (CEO of UK Business and Head of Syngenta N W Europe). Inspired by his agronomist wife, Emily, first time entrant Scott Harrod was presented with the FSOOTY Cup.

2026 FSOOTY Presentation

L-R: Iain Lindsay, James Cracknell, Sarah Iveson, Scott Harrod and Jack Williams

At 15.00 on the first day, Dave Bell, our Chairperson gave a speech on the VI, how we came about and some of the success stories since our foundation back in 2001, before cutting a cake and providing those in the marquee with some much-needed liquid refreshment.  Day 1 was hot and sunny with the odd shower.

Dave Bells VI 25th Birthday speech

Day 2 was very different, with torrential rain from 08.00-12.30, Diddly Squat Farm became more of a mud bath!

VI‑Led and Supported Sessions at Cereals 2026

Resistance management, importance in integrated pest management (IPM). The VI contributed to a technical discussion exploring how resistance management was an important pillar regarding IPM principles. The session, chaired by Dave Bell Chairperson of the VI, covered weeds (John Cussans, ADAS, both days), diseases (Dr Jonathon Blake, ADAS; day 1: Dr Rebecca Joynt, AHDB; Day 2) and insects (Prof. Tom Pope, HAU, both days).  Discussion centered around the principles of resistance management and differences in management between the three types of pests and how cultural control and other methods could reduce reliance on PPPs.  There was some great questions and interaction with the audience on both days.

VI Cereals Session

🌱 Groundswell 2026: Embedding IPM in Regenerative Systems

Groundswell 2026 marked a decade of farmer‑driven innovation, with more than 500 speakers contributing to discussions on soil biology, biodiversity, agroecology and climate resilience. The VI supported sessions that aligned closely with its mission to promote integrated, practical approaches to crop protection within regenerative systems.  Again, the VI had a BASIS Knowledge Trail questionnaire with 46 and 23 completing the Knowledge Trail Questionnaire on Days one and two, respectively. 

VI‑Connected Sessions at Groundswell 2026

Optimising Plant Protection – Technical Panel (1 July, 10:00) A session featuring experts discussing resistance management, pest and disease pressures, and emerging technologies such as RNAi solutions for pest control. The panel explored best practice PPP use and alternative options within an IPM framework.  Again Chaired by Dave Bell (VI), speakers included Dr Rachel Wells (JIC) who spoke about the possibility of using RNAi-based systems to target specific pests, as an alternative to the use of PPPs.  John Cussans (ADAS) spoke about herbicide resistance, Prof. Fiona Burnett (SRUC) about fungicide resistance and the use of emerging biofungicides and Dr Lawrence Bramham (Rothamsted Research) about insecticide resistance and the important work and data that the long-term Rothamsted Insect Survey (continuous since 1964) can provide to industry.  The "Teapot" venue was packed with 85+ attendees and some fantastic questions and dialogue from the floor.

Groundswell VI Session in The Teapot

 

🔍 Shared Themes Across Both Events

Across Cereals and Groundswell, several consistent messages emerged:

  • IPM remains central to sustainable crop protection

  • Stewardship is essential for protecting water, biodiversity and public trust

  • Farmer‑led innovation is driving practical change across all farming systems

  • Integrated approaches combining agronomy, ecology and technology deliver the strongest outcomes

  • Growers are increasingly seeking evidence‑based, low‑risk solutions

The VI’s involvement at both events reinforced its role as a trusted partner for farmers committed to responsible PPP use and long‑term resilience.

✨ Looking Ahead

The Voluntary Initiative will continue to support farmers through guidance, training, and collaborative projects with industry, researchers and government. The conversations at Cereals and Groundswell highlight the sector’s determination to innovate and lead on stewardship — and the VI remains committed to helping farmers achieve that through practical, integrated and science‑based approaches.

Our next show will be AgriScot in November.