Pesticides and Sustainable Agriculture

PESTICIDESAND

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

This leaflet provides a brief overview of some of the many crop protection industry initiatives contributing to sustainable productive agriculture.

Sustainable agriculture Global agriculture is faced with many challenges. It has to produce more raw materials to satisfy the increasing and diversifying demands of a growing world population, it has to contribute to economic prosperity and social wellbeing in rural areas, and it has to preserve natural resources such as land, water and biodiversity.

A more productive and resource efficient agriculture mitigates the problems associated with these challenges, because it enables us to have more of everything – more food, more feed, more non-food crops, more biodiversity and natural habitats – while at the same time reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Low input farming averages 31% lower yields than productive agriculture in the EU. Efficient production technologies are imperative to allow us to close yield gaps and ensure productivity; however, society must use these technologies in a sustainable manner to ensure that agriculture plays a central role in delivering socio-economic and environmental sustainability.

Pesticides make an important contribution to sustainable productive agriculture AND WE’RE WORKING TO MAKE IT BETTER

Health

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We work to protect the health of farmers and the environment The crop protection industry is working with local authorities and research centres to promote best practices for the safe and sustainable use of pesticides, and product packaging.

Our Safe and Sustainable Use Initiative provides farmers with information, training and recommendations on the use of protective clothing; under our Container Management Systems project, participating countries enjoy a high degree of success in ensuring a maximum of used pesticide containers are recycled.

Recycling

15,500 tonnes

of containers in 2012 saved

125,000m

3

of landfill

“In just three years our Safe and Sustainable Use Initiative has more than doubled the number of Greek farmers that use appropriate protective gear.�

Health

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Our Safe and Sustainable Use Initiative contributes to safeguarding farmer health and protecting the environment The Safe and Sustainable Use Initiative (SUI) sees ECPA work with regional authorities and other partners to safeguard farmers’ health by promoting the use of protective clothing and equipment, training, and communicating the benefits of innovative pesticide application techniques.

Guidance is tailored to best-fit local agricultural practices and regional climatic conditions.

Our initiation and support of Container Management Systems helps protect the environment by reducing the need to send empty pesticide containers to landfill, and protects health with guidance on the correct management of used packaging.

Germany and France are home to two of the longest-running CMS projects; both so successful that businesses have been established especially to deliver CMS.

16 countries are

participating in the Safe and Sustainable Use Initiative The Container Management Systems project collects up to

70% of used containers in several of the

31 countries where it operates

Biodiversity Benefits for biodiversity Productive, resource efficient agriculture is beneficial for biodiversity. It is necessary to protect both harvests and biodiversity, and through the INSPIA project, working with partners, we will demonstrate that best management practices can meet the challenge of providing sufficient safe and affordable food whilst preserving our natural environment and promoting farmland biodiversity.

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“Productive, resource efficient agriculture saves space for biodiversity. This, coupled with biodiversity friendly management practices, enables Europe to meet both food production and conservation targets.”

Without productive agriculture in the EU – with serious implications for biodiversity – an estimated additional

38

million hectares

of agricultural land would be required to achieve the same agricultural output – this is a land area roughly

The INSPIA project will demonstrate that the high agricultural productivity required to meet today’s food production challenge is compatible with management practices that promote biodiversity.

12 times BRUSSELS

the size of Belgium

X12

Biodiversity

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We work with partners to promote resource efficient agriculture for the benefit of harvests and biodiversity INSPIA, the European Index for Sustainable Productive Agriculture, is the collaborative effort of ECPA, the European Conservation Agriculture Federation (ECAF) and the Institute for Sustainable Agriculture (IAD).

The INSPIA project demonstrates best practices for maintaining agricultural productivity whilst promoting biodiversity.

With a selection of verified indicators and an online monitoring tool, INSPIA provides farmers reference and guidance for the implementation and improvement of management practices that are beneficial to both the harvest, and local biodiversity.

The results of the INSPIA project, and onfarm demonstrations of the implementation and value of best management practices will be used to communicate the importance of managing agriculture for both productivity and biodiversity.

One of the industry’s newest projects, launched in

2013

Includes more than

20 best management

practices

27 indicators are used to

address socio-economic and environmental sustainability

50

To date, more than farms in Spain, France, Belgium and Denmark are engaged with the INSPIA project

Water

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Working to keep pesticides out of water As awareness of the importance of clean water increases, so too do efforts to keep water clean. Constant improvements in product formulation, the adoption of best management practices, and improvements in application technology all help to safeguard water quality.

Since 2005 and the first launch of the TOPPS initiative we have been working with local authorities, universities and farmers to prevent water pollution from the farmyard, and the field.

“Best management practices can reduce contamination of water up to 90%.�

We are helping keep water clean in

24

countries

Water

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Working together with key European stakeholders we’re helping to keep pesticides out of water TOPPS (Train Operators to Promote best Practice and Sustainability) comprises a series of projects which use best management practices to avoid pesticide contamination of water in and near farmland.

TOPPS-Life focuses on point source contamination, while TOPPS-Prowadis works to prevent the contamination that can happen during application, from for example spray drift and run-off. Both projects focus on the development, communication, and demonstration of best practices.

Over ten years the TOPPS projects have partnered with 22 organisations, including universities, research centres and local authorities. The project continues to grow, and has so far been rolled out in 24 European countries. TOPPS-Prowadis is currently active in seven European countries.

TOPPS-Life

was launched in 2005 in collaboration with the EU Life+ programme

Building on the success of TOPPS-Life,

TOPPS-Prowadis was launched in 2011

The TOPPS projects work with 22 partners, with outreach in

24 countries

Food

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Working with partners to support the reduction of residues on food While there is widespread agreement among scientists that the health danger from pesticide residues is negligible, consumer concerns about pesticide residues are real and need to be addressed.

Our Residues Management Project promotes the good agricultural practices that help reduce residues, and spreads knowledge on effective residue management to farmers who export produce to the EU. In Turkey, 100 trainers are sharing this specialist expertise with farmers across the country.

“Our train-the-trainer programme takes good residue management practices from centres of excellence to areas where they are most needed.�

Food

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We actively address consumer concerns about pesticide residues; Europe’s food has never been safer or healthier Through our Residues Management Project we are developing effective management practices and through training, sharing them where they are most needed.

We have partnered with the Spanish research centre Las Palmerillas – a centre of excellence in residue management – to develop a programme to share bestpractices. A practical, easy-to-use guide has been developed to assist farmers in the correct use of products – an important step in reducing residues.

We have developed a train-the-trainer programme with farm advisory services to ensure that best management practices are shared with farmers across Europe, and reach those areas where improvement is most needed.

Launched in

2013

5 Almeria-trained Turkish advisors have trained

100 advisors in Turkey Each of these 100 is

educating and training

30-50 Turkish farmers per

week in residue management The project has the potential

5,000

farmers, to reach specialists, and advisors in just one season

The European Crop Protection Association (ECPA) represents the crop protection industry at the European level. Its members include all major crop protection companies and national associations across Europe.

The ECPA network promotes and upholds the highest standards for human safety and environmental care in European agriculture, based on sustainable, productive, value-added, innovative and scientific farming methods.

The European Crop Protection Association (ECPA) is committed to: dialogue with all those who care about the environment and human safety in European agriculture; protecting and conserving water resources by introducing innovative crop protection solutions and promoting sustainable agricultural practices, and contributing significantly to a healthy, high-quality, affordable food supply for all by maintaining plant health, increasing plant productivity and improving farm practices.

For more information, please contact: ECPA aisbl 6 Avenue E. Van Nieuwenhuyse 1160 Brussels - Belgium Tel: +32 2 663 15 50 Fax: +32 2 663 15 60 E-mail: ecpa@ecpa.eu www.ecpa.eu www.twitter.com/cropprotection www.facebook.com/cropprotection