INDUSTRY
Our ability to bring PPPs onto the UK market is so heavily dependent on the dynamics in the EU
Pesticide vote The impact of the EU vote on pesticides for UK turf managers
In November 2023, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voted to reject a proposed regulation on pesticides that could have had a profound impact on the amenity sector both in Europe and the UK.
T
he proposal was for a Sustainable Use of Plant Protection Products Regulation which would replace the current Sustainable Use of Pesticides Directive.
Directive vs Regulation A Directive is a legal act that tells EU member states what goals they must achieve but does not specify how this should be done. Each member state must then put into place national laws which enable them to meet the goals specified in the directive. A Regulation is also a legal act but as well as telling member states what goals they must achieve it also specifies how this should be done. Unlike a directive it is directly applicable in every member state of the EU and does not require secondary national laws.
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January/February 2024
PITCHCARE
The current EU Directive on the Sustainable Use of Pesticides was introduced in 2009. Its purpose was to achieve the sustainable use of pesticides by reducing the risks and impacts of their use on human health and the environment, and promoting the use of integrated pest management (IPM) and alternative approaches to pesticides. The UK’s Plant Protection Products (Sustainable Use) Regulations 2012 were the UK’s method of achieving the goals set out within the EU’s 2009 Directive. Even though the UK has now left the EU, the Plant Protection Products (Sustainable Use) Regulations 2012 remain one of the key laws for pesticide use in the UK. Within the EU, each member state has its own equivalent of our PPP (Sustainable Use) Regulations so that the goals set in the Directive can be achieved throughout the union. In 2022, as part of the European Green Deal objectives,