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Can you give an example of a typical farmer
taking steps to ensure that he's using crop
protection products sustainably?
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What has the European crop protection industry actually done to encourage the sustainable use of its products?
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What is the industry doing to tackle the
specific problem of water safety?
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What is integrated farming and how can it
help to make crop protection practices more sustainable?
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What is the crop protection industry doing
to help reduce the risks associated with the use of crop protection
products?
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When crop protection products are being used
sustainably, just how much product should be applied to a crop?
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Can you give an example of a
typical farmer taking steps to ensure that he's using crop
protection products sustainably?
Imagine a farmer looking out over his field. He
makes a rapid mental assessment of the potential weeds, pests and diseases
that are likely to affect his crop. His first instinct is to prevent any
serious infestations as soon as possible. Relying on his past experience, as
well as forecasting support, he considers what he can do to anticipate the
problem. He decides that he will use a combination of resistant varieties,
crop rotation and cultivation. He monitors his crop over some time and
finally determines that he will need to take action to avoid losses in yield
and quality. He remembers that he has several control options: cultural,
mechanical, physical, biological and chemical. When he concludes that he
will need some form of chemical control, in addition to the other control
methods he has selected, the farmer may take advice from a qualified
agricultural expert, not unlike the advice he might take from a pharmacist
when choosing the right medicine. The agricultural expert helps him select
the most appropriate crop protection product and advises him on the correct
use of protective equipment, as well as steps to avoid any potential
environmental impacts. The farmer, armed with the correct product and expert
advice, takes action to protect his crop while at the same time safeguarding
the health of those around him and the environment in which he farms.
Return to top What
has the European crop protection industry actually done to encourage the
sustainable use of its products?
The European crop protection industry launched a wide-ranging Safe Use
Initiative (SUI) in 2002. The initiative focuses largely on optimising the
ways in which farmers apply crop protection products, the equipment they use
to do so, the protective clothing they wear in the process, the management
of product containers, and minimising any human and environmental impacts.
Working closely with public administrators throughout Europe, the initiative
stresses the importance of complying with the instructions on the product
labels, using the best available protective equipment and safeguarding the
environment. The initiative is being rolled out largely in southern Europe,
where a needs assessment has identified a combination of climactic
conditions and cultural practises that require attention. An initial project
in Spain, now complete, included a number of sophisticated evaluation,
education and communication activities to raise awareness of the importance
of safe use amongst farmers. Combined with the development of new
application and protective technologies, these activities are helping to
reduce operator exposure and improve farmers’ awareness of the benefits of
safe use in environmental, economic and social terms. In addition to the
Spanish initiative, further safe use initiatives are being launch in France,
Italy, Greece and Portugal.
Return to top
What is the industry doing to tackle the
specific problem of water safety?
The individual manufacturers of crop protection products do a great deal
to support water safety, by improving the environmental profiles of their
products and contributing to farmer training and education. Over and above
this, at the EU level, moves are afoot to ensure that water safety can also
benefit from recent advances in farmer training and education. A project
proposal submitted by ECPA, aiming to develop EU-wide guidelines on the
reduction of water contamination from point sources, has been accepted by
the European Commission. TOPPS (Train the Operators to Prevent Point
Sources) is a multi-stakeholder project that will identify and disseminate
advice and information to farmers on a pan-European scale. The TOPPS project
is expected to reduce traces of crop protection products in surface and
groundwater, as well as raise awareness amongst farmers via training,
education and wide-ranging communications activities across Europe.
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| What is integrated farming and how
can it help to make crop protection practices more sustainable? Integrated
farming is much more than a buzzword. It essentially involves integrating
technologies to enable site-specific management of whole farms,
incorporating many practices that have long been associated with good
business management — such as planning, target setting, monitoring and
auditing. As integrated farming is a whole-farm approach, agricultural
practices are managed to favour environmental enhancement by combining
sustainable input practices with crop rotation and other complimentary
farming methods. The crop protection industry fully supports integrated
farming, in which the sustainable use of crop protection products plays a
significant part. Integrated farming encourages farmers to work in tandem
with nature, enabling them to combine a range of traditional farming
practices with chemical crop protection, without compromising yields.
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