Assessing availability of European plant protection product data: an example evaluating basic area treated

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Environmental Science
• Ecotoxicology

Background:

• Plant protection products (PPPs) offer agricultural benefits but pose environmental risks.
• Assessing the geographic extent of PPP usage is crucial for environmental risk evaluation.
• Ireland's primarily grass-based agricultural system was used as a case study.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the feasibility of summarizing PPP usage at national and European levels.
• To identify widely used active substances (ASs) in Ireland and the EU.
• To highlight data gaps and deficiencies in pesticide usage reporting across the EU.

Main Methods:

• Utilized basic area (area over which PPPs are applied) as a key variable for assessing geographic risk extent.
• Reviewed available national PPP usage data from EU countries, adhering to Regulation (EC) No 1185/2009.
• Compared herbicide and fungicide application data from Ireland, Estonia, Germany, Finland, and Spain.

Main Results:

• Fluroxypyr and glyphosate were the most used herbicides in Ireland; chlorothalonil and prothioconazole were the most used fungicides.
• Usable PPP usage data was only available for 4 out of 30 EU countries reviewed.
• Prothioconazole and glyphosate were the most widely applied fungicide and herbicide across surveyed EU countries, respectively.

Conclusions:

• Significant data gaps and accessibility issues hinder comprehensive EU-wide pesticide usage assessment.
• Improved pesticide usage data is essential for accurate environmental risk assessment.
• Addressing data deficiencies will support evidence-based policymaking for sustainable agriculture.