More research is needed to assess the risk pesticides pose to human health, a prominent advisory body has warned.
The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (RCEP) said that while there was no conclusive evidence of a link between pesticides and ill health, the government should consider imposing no-spray zones while further studies are carried out.
According to the Pesticide Action Network, 31,000 tonnes of pesticides are sprayed on British farmland every year. The group hopes today's report will see a reduction in pesticide use and better information for the public.
"There should be signs on site about what pesticides are going to be used, and what has been used, so people can at least have the right to know what they are being exposed to," spokesperson Alison Craig told the BBC.
Sir Tom Blundell, chair of the RCEP, said existing evidence on pesticide drift and its effect on human health was inadequate.
"It's extremely difficult to do the epidemiology if those who are sprayed don't know what they're sprayed by," he told the Today programme. "There's around 200 different pesticides and so making the scientific connections is difficult.
"We need to do some more research into that area," Sir Tom added.
The commission's report comes at the end of an inquiry launched in June last year, and the government is expected to issue its response shortly.