MEMBER NEWS
Bayer launches digital pest monitoring tool MagicTrap 2 in the UK
Bayer has announced the UK launch of MagicTrap 2, the next generation of its digital pest monitoring solution for oilseed rape pests. Building on the proven MagicTrap concept, the new device has been comprehensively enhanced to meet the needs of modern farming, with clear gains in precision, connectivity and day to day practicality in the field.
MagicTrap is Bayer’ s fully automated digital yellow water trap for oilseed rape pests. It helps growers monitor pest pressure remotely by capturing images from the field and making the analysed results available through the MagicScout app on a smartphone, supporting more timely and informed decision-making. The tool autonomously detects, categorises and quantifies a wide range of insects and pests, including flea beetle, pollen beetle and weevils, while distinguishing between pests and other insects.
With its targeted hardware upgrades, MagicTrap 2 is designed to raise the standard of digital pest monitoring in practical arable farming. A key improvement is its camera system, which now combines higher resolution with autofocus to deliver sharper images for pest monitoring. The integrated flash ensures clear pictures even in low-light conditions, enabling reliable automated analysis across more field situations. The device also brings important advances
Bayer launches MagicTrap 2 in the UK
in connectivity and ease of use, with an enhanced antenna for stronger signal and updated LED indicators showing battery status and signal strength directly on the device, making set-up and in-field checks more straightforward.
“ With MagicTrap 2, we are setting a new standard for digital pest monitoring in terms of robustness, precision and reliability,” said Max Dafforn, Digital Lead EMEA for Bayer UK.“ The improved technology helps with day-to-day field use and provides a strong foundation for future tools that will continue to support British farmers in managing pest pressure more effectively. It also shows our ongoing commitment to deliver digital innovations in agriculture.”
Already available in Germany and Austria, with rollout in the UK and 14 additional European markets through to 2027, the second generation of MagicTrap marks an important step in expanding Bayer’ s practical, AI enabled digital farming offer across Europe.
Veolia UK places in Sunday Times‘ Best Places to Work’ for the fourth year running
Veolia in the UK, a global leader in environmental services, has been included in the Sunday Times‘ Best Places to Work’ list for the fourth year in a row demonstrating the company’ s commitment to being an organisation that values, supports and connects with its workforce.
The Sunday Times‘ Best Places to Work’ list has become a benchmark for companies throughout the UK to demonstrate the connection they have with their people, measured through an in-depth employee survey.
The survey reported an excellent score for Veolia’ s commitment to diversity and inclusion. As the UK’ s largest employer in the waste management industry, Veolia in the UK takes immense pride in championing inclusivity through its hiring processes that
seek to attract talented people from diverse communities. Examples of this include a collaboration with Big Issue Recruit and Veolia’ s in-house prison leaver programme, Next Steps. Veolia in the UK is also proud to be a Disability Confident Leader, as well as being an Age Inclusive accredited employer, recognising Veolia’ s commitment to creating a workplace that actively values, recruits, and retains workers from every generation.
In recognition of its inclusive hiring pathways, Veolia UK has just this month been named as a Top 50 Employer of Veterans in the UK from a pool of 14,000 organisations signed to the Armed Forces Covenant. This recognition is a significant accomplishment, demonstrating Veolia’ s exceptional work supporting veterans and the wider Armed Forces community in the UK.
The strong survey results are also a recognition of Veolia’ s commitment to training and development. The company provides a large range of in-house training as well as apprenticeship programmes. Veolia recently celebrated National Apprenticeship Week, recognising the 400 + apprentices currently upskilling throughout the business.
Responding to the news of our fourth consecutive win, Pascal Hauret, Managing Director for Municipal at Veolia in the UK said:“ This recognition is particularly meaningful for our teams who are the face of Veolia in communities across the country. Our 14,000 colleagues truly embody our purpose and when our employees tell us this is a great place to work, it shows we’ re making real progress- and we’ re committed to continuing that journey”.
30 Autumn 2026