A S part of a major campaign to rapidly improve the awareness of farmers and operators, half-day Slug Pelleting Seminars will be held at Bicton College in Devon and Kingston Maurward College in Dorset.

The Bicton fixture is on December 9 and will last from 10am to 3pm. It is for existing NPTC PA2 and PA4 certificate holders to update their current qualifications, and for others to qualify to legally apply slug pellets.

Course organiser Kitrina Bishop said: "Slug pellets are used extensively to control slugs in agricultural and horticultural crop production.

"Bicton is encouraging users to update on how to reduce the impact of this pesticide on the environment, and also improve the efficacy of slug control."

One of the biggest issues for farmers and operators is whether operators are working legally, she said.

Earlier this year it was realised many operators were applying pellets illegally, because they lacked the necessary PA4 qualification.

Many wrongly believed their PA2 boom sprayer qualification automatically covered them for pellet application.

Only those who achieved PA2 before June 1994 received PA4 automatically. From 1994 anyone certificated with PA2 had to take a separate PA4 if they wanted to apply slug pellets.

Mrs Bishop explained: "What's more, even the 8,000 operators with a PA4 certificate are believed to be lacking the latest environmental information and best-practice advice needed to apply slug pellets appropriately."

She said all qualified operators (PA4 or PA2 pre-1994) were strongly recommended to attend, including people who are legally allowed to operate on their own or their employer's own land.

Operators who achieved PA2 after 1994 should also attend and take the short test at the end, so certificates could be upgraded to add on the application of slug pellets only.

Unqualified operators must attend a Slug Pelleting Seminar. Those successfully completing a short multiple-choice test at the end of the course will receive an interim certificate entitling them to apply slug pellets until July 2011, provided they also take and achieve PA1.

In the intervening 18 months they need to sit one of the three new or revised PA units due to be introduced in January.

The cost of the Bicton seminar and end test providing updated certification is £60.

For those yet to complete any training, there is a Slug Pellet Application (PA4) training course on December 17 at Bicton College.

The Kingston Maurward seminar is being held on December 15.

Course lecturer Colin England said there had been an increase in cases of metaldehyde – the active ingredient found in most pellets – being discovered at higher levels in raw surface water allowed by the European Union. Utility companies could now analyse supplies for the chemical and both Bristol and Wessex Waters had both detected it.

Other companies had also found small traces, leading to a campaign highlighting the risks associated with the chemical's use to avoid pellets being banned in farming.

Mr England said: "With the active ingredient in slug pellets now being detected in the environment, this seminar is not only designed to improve the awareness of farmers and operators of how to reduce the impact of this pesticide on the environment, but also improve to the efficacy of slug control."

The session at the Dorchester campus will run from 9.30am to 12.30pm and costs £50, or £40 for Young Farmers' Club members. The closing date for entries is December 4 and spaces are limited.

For more details and to book a place at the Bicton event, contact Mrs Bishop on 01392 562382 or email her at kcbishop@bicton.ac.uk. To book a place for the Kingston Maurward seminar contact the college helpline on 01305 215215.