The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) is seeking views on the European Commission’s proposed Sustainable Use of Pesticides Regulation (SUR).
It will replace the existing Sustainable Use Directive (SUD). The public consultation ends at 5:30p.m on Friday, January 20, 2023.
It is now apparent that the scope of the new SUR may impact on many aspects of Ireland’s tillage sector. As a consequence, all the stakeholder organisations within the crops sector are asking individual farmers to actively participate in the public consultation.
Sustainable Use of Pesticides Regulation
There are two targets for pesticides that will be of specific consequence for tillage farmers.
The first aims to reduce by 50% the use and risk of chemical pesticides by 2030.
This target is assessed using specific sales data, which reflect the quantities of active substances contained in the pesticides that are placed on the market and, therefore, used, in each European Union (EU) member state.
The second priority aims to reduce by 50% the use of more hazardous pesticides by 2030. This will be measured by sales data for the more hazardous pesticides, known as the ‘candidates for substitution’.
The proposed SUR includes the legal requirement for the setting of these targets using baseline data from 2015-2017.
The proposed SUR also establishes additional requirements for the use, storage, sale and disposal of plant protection products (PPPs), pesticide application equipment (PAE), training, awareness raising, and for implementation of integrated pest management (IPM).
Impact for Ireland
There are a number of additional proposals contained within the draft SUR for Ireland.
These include the prohibition of PPPs in sensitive areas and within 3m of such areas.
In addition, designated Competent Authorities (CAs) in member states will be required to establish, oversee and monitor a system of independent advisors for pesticide users which are free of conflict of interest.
Pesticide users must seek advice on IPM and matters such as risk mitigation, at least once per year from an independent advisor.
A record of this advice must be kept by pesticide users for three years.
A new Irish National Action Plan will be required which will include national reduction targets, national measures to encourage use of non-chemical methods and to support innovation in this area.
The plan will also include links to the Irish CAP Strategic Plan in relation to plans for an increase in the utilised agricultural area (UAA) under organic farming.
The action plan will be updated every three years and an annual progress and implementation report must be published. Professional pesticide users will be legally obliged to implement IPM.
In addition, CAs shall adopt binding crop-specific rules and IPM for crops, considering relevant agronomic and climatic conditions in that member state.
These shall be reviewed annually and updated where necessary.