PURPOSE: to
propose a strategy on safer use of pesticides.
BACKGROUND:
the use of pesticides is recognised as posing threats both to human health
and the environment. Despite all the efforts that have been made to limit the
risks linked to the use of pesticides and to prevent any undesirable effects,
unwanted amounts of certain pesticides can still be found in environmental
media (in particular soil and water) and residues exceeding regulatory limits
still occur in agricultural produce. It is, therefore, necessary to reduce
the risks from pesticides to humans and the environment as far as possible by
minimising or eliminating, where possible, exposure and by encouraging the
research and development of less harmful, including non-chemical,
alternatives.
In order to
address these concerns, the Commission is proposing a new strategy aimed at
improving the way pesticides are used across the EU. It complements existing
EU legislation controlling which pesticides can actually be placed on the
market.
CONTENT: The
main objectives of this thematic strategy are:
- to increase
awareness of consumers and society at large about the possible risks
from the use of pesticides has recently triggered actions by certain
retailers and governments, as well as the Community, to support forms of
agriculture and pest management methods that restrict or better target
the use of plant protection products, such as organic farming,
integrated pest management, or the use of less susceptible varieties. It
is important to encourage a rational and precise pesticide use, as well
as appropriate crop and soil management practices;
- to improve
the behaviour of pesticide users (in particular professional users), who
are responsible for a number of misuses including overuses, by ensuring
better training and education;
- to improve
the quality and efficacy of pesticide application equipment is also
necessary to enable pesticide users to optimise the effectiveness of the
treatments whilst minimising any adverse impact on human health and the
environment.
Furthermore,
the use of pesticides is affected – directly or indirectly – by legislation
in other policy areas, such as water policy, agricultural policy, worker
protection and research. The Thematic Strategy will allow the development of
a horizontal and cross-cutting approach, well beyond the relatively limited
scope of these specific legal instruments.
The specific
objectives of the Thematic Strategy that would contribute to achieving the
overall objectives are:
- to minimise
the hazards and risks to health and environment from the use of
pesticides;
- to improve
controls on the use and distribution of pesticides;
- to reduce
the levels of harmful active substances including through substituting
the most dangerous with safer (including non-chemical) alternatives;
- to encourage
low-input or pesticide-free cultivation, among others through raising
users’ awareness, promoting the use of codes of good practices and
promoting consideration of the possible application of financial instruments;
- to establish
a transparent system for reporting and monitoring progress made in the
fulfilling of the objectives of the strategy, including the development
of suitable indicators.
The following
measures of the Thematic Strategy will be included in a new Framework
Directive of the European Parliament and the Council, which the Commission is
proposing in parallel to this Communication:
- establishment
of National Action Plans by the Member States which will have to set individual
objectives to reduce hazards, risks and dependence on chemical control
for plant protection (National Action Plans - NAP);
- involvement
of stakeholders in the setting up, implementation and adaptation of the
NAP;
- creation of
a system of training of professional pesticide users in order to ensure
that those who regularly use pesticides are fully aware of the risks
linked to this use and take all appropriate measures to find the least
harmful means for solving a plant protection problem;
- awareness raising
of the general public (with particular attention to non-professional
users of pesticides) through awareness raising campaigns and information
passed on through retailers to ensure that it is better informed;
- regular and
compulsory inspection of application equipment;
- prohibition
of aerial spraying to limit the risks of significant adverse impacts on
human health and the environment, in particular from spray drift;
- enhanced
protection of the aquatic environment;
- defining
areas of significantly reduced or zero pesticide use;
- handling and
storage of packaging and remnants of pesticides and other measures
connected to the handling of products in order to avoid that they are
stored or handled carelessly and possibly pollute the environment;
- promotion of
low pesticide-input farming and creation by Member States of necessary
conditions for implementation of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) by
farmers;
- Community-wide
standards of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) will be developed and
become mandatory as from 2014. Crop-specific standards for IPM will also
be developed at Community level, but their implementation will remain
voluntary, and Member States could support this activity under rural
development;
- measuring
progress in risk reduction through appropriate harmonised indicators,
which will be made binding for all Member States for regular reporting;
- establishment
of a system of information exchange at Community level – a Thematic
Strategy Expert Group – involving the Member States and all other
relevant stakeholders in order continuously to develop and update
appropriate guidance, best practices, and recommendations.
In addition,
the Commission will incorporate the following measures of the Thematic
Strategy into two separate proposals to be adopted at the latest by 2008:
- improved
systems for the collection of information on distribution and use of
plant protection products, at the level of active substances, and
regular reporting to tackle the lack of reliable data in particular with
a view to the calculation of risk indicators;
- essential
requirements for the protection of the environment to be satisfied by
new pesticide application equipment to be placed on the market.
For the time
being, the strategy only deals with the largest group of pesticides – plant protection
products (PPPs). At a second stage, its scope may be extended to biocides
once the impacts of the 1998 Directive on biocidal products have been
evaluated. Biocides, e.g. disinfectants, wood preservatives and antifouling
paints, are used to control other harmful organisms than those damaging crops
or controlling plants.
The Strategy
on the sustainable use of pesticides is one of the seven Thematic Strategies
that the Commission is presenting, following the provisions of the EU's 6th
Environmental Action Programme. The other strategies cover air pollution,
marine environment, waste prevention and recycling, natural resources, the
urban environment and soils.