Guideline for farm-specific rules or crop-specific for mitigating pesticide impacts while ensuring sustainable agriculture

Introduction

The European Green Deal notes the urgent need to reduce the use/risk of pesticides. To achieve reduction targets, the Sustainable Use Directive (SUD), which outlined approaches (e.g. Integrated Pest Management, IPM) to reduce pesticide usage, was adopted in 2009.

Objectives

One way of achieving this objective is through the design of binding crop-specific rules for pest management. Ambitious; the challenge is magnified by the following factors:

1. Absence of a guidance framework to support Member States in developing crop-specific rules.
2. Need to identify cost-effective supports that minimize the use/risk of pesticides beyond obligatory baseline requirements.
3. Lack of a forum for proactive stakeholder engagement.

Agrowise Initiative

In response, Agrowise will develop tailored recommendations for major arable and perennial crops, as well as grasslands. Adhering to IPM principles encompassing diverse pedoclimatic conditions, Agrowise will lead the co-design of a guidance framework that enables the development of crop-specific rules.

Stakeholder Engagement

Additionally, Agrowise will coordinate a forum of competent authorities and relevant stakeholder groups. This will deliver an essential mechanism to support constructive, problem-solving, harmonizing approaches across the EU while also assessing IPM tailored support schemes.

Consortium and Expertise

Agrowise goals will be achieved via a consortium of research institutions and competent authorities from 8 Member States, collectively providing extensive trans-disciplinary experience and sectoral understanding of crop protection and agroecological transition determinants.

Strategic Aim

The strategic aim of Agrowise is to support an evidence-based implementation of the SUD. The consortium will draw collective expertise from members in the European Research Alliance “Towards a Chemical Pesticide-Free Agriculture” to achieve this.

Contribution to EU Policy

By supporting Member States in setting up, assessing, and implementing crop-specific rules in accordance with IPM principles, Agrowise will contribute to the adoption of assessed IPM practices, thereby supporting EU policy in this field.