Banning Metaldehyde – An Opportunity to Reset

Martin Perkins

17th January 2019

Analytes, Metaldehyde, Phine Banks, Treatment Works, Water,


Gastropod garrotting, Metaldehyde, has been banned in the UK due to the environmental impact of its extensive use. Regardless of the logic behind the ban, this promises to shake things up for both the pesticide measurement and the drinking water industry.

While the need for metaldehyde measurement isn’t going away anytime soon, it has dominated the conversation around water monitoring for as long as I can remember. This ban presents an opportunity for the measurement of more varied and potentially more harmful nasties in our water supplies.

Despite the disruption it will cause, it should be viewed and acted on positively.

We’re confident that Anatune is in a strong position to respond, whatever crops up.

The approach taken with Affinity Water in solving their metaldehyde shaped problem can absolutely be applied to a multitude of analytes where we generate data in real time to be used as part of the control process. The possibility exists to analyse for anything the lab can measure in the water treatment works using the same approach.

Hopefully this disruption will stimulate a period of innovative and forward thinking which will make it easier to control the quality of the water we consume and give environmental benefits too.

We’d love to hear your predictions for the next big talking points in the World of water monitoring so please get in touch, either by email or call us on 01223 279210.