b'30The utility of mobile phone apps to manage pesticides at field scale: The perspective of Northern Ireland farmersFarrow LG1, Cassidy R1 and Doody D11Agri-Food and Bioscience Institute, 18a, Newforge Lane, Malone Upper, Belfast, Northern Ireland.BT9 5PXThe FAIRWAY project (https://www.fairway-project.eu/) is a multi-national, EU Horizon 2020 funded project that is evaluating different approaches to drinking water source protection from contamination by pesticides and nitrate. Through analysis of 13 case study catchments across Europe the project seeks to identify and further develop innovative measures, and identifydecision support tools and governance approaches for more effective protection in the future. In Northern Ireland the herbicide MCPA ((4-Chloro-2-methylphenoxy) acetic acid) is of particular concern for water quality as it is extensively used to control rushes (Juncus effuses) ingrassland. MCPA sorbs poorly in the soil environment (Koc: 74 ml/g) and concentrations in river water frequently exceed 0.1g/L. There are significant costs associated with treatingcontaminated water abstracted for drinking water purposes. In order to assess farmers willingness to adopt a mobile phone app to inform field scale manage-ment of MCPA, a structured questionnaire was developed. Participants were recruited through visits to markets, agricultural shows and on-farm meetings and through the Ulster Wildlife Grassroots programme. Interim results, based on 81 responses suggest that the majority of respondents do not use online (57%) or mobile app (96%) resources. 77% of respondents owned a smart phone and the majority (70%) were willing to use an app in future. 75% of those willing to adopt were less than 60 years old. Respondents were interested in gaining more information on best practice around pesticide selection and usage (product selection: 75%; Dilutioncalculations: 56%) and environmental conditions for application (ground conditions: 62%;weather: 60%). Although 38% of respondents requested information on handling and disposal of contaminated packaging, 81% were somewhat or very confident of their knowledge on this issue. This information is informing the development of the prototype mobile app for field scale man-agement of pesticides in drinking water catchments.74'