Deputy Steve Luce described the recent discovery of the chemical oxadixyl in Jersey’s surface water supplies 13 years after it was last used, which forced Jersey Water to shut down Val de La Mare reservoir and divert streams away from other reservoirs, as a ‘wake up’ call for the industry and as a result, he said that farmers now needed to work with the States to find an alternative to relying on chemicals.
Oxadixyl was used up 2003 to control potato blight but was replaced by new product and it is not a banned substance nor are there any known health risks from its application.
However, since it was discovered in ground water throughout the Island in January routine water testing of public, private and ground water sources have been stepped up six-fold.
