INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT PHASE II

BACKGROUND

Plant protection should be viewed, as an all-embracing term, not solely limited to the context of application of plant protection products. The benefits of feeding Europe while reducing pesticide dependence should be approached across the entire food industry from farmer and worker to consumer, from producers of plant protection products to those responsible for the provision of clean drinking water, from biodiversity to soil health.

Regulatory mechanisms are largely in place, the benefits documented and the challenges still posed known. Yet, while progress has been made, there is a huge road to be travelled to achieve a commonly shared vision.

The 2006 Thematic Strategy on the sustainable use of pesticides led to a new legislative framework for the approval and use of pesticides. As part of this strategy, Directive 2009/128/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council was adopted on 21 October (named SUD), establishing a framework for Community action to achieve the sustainable use of pesticides by reducing the risks and impacts of pesticide use on human health and the environment and promoting the use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and of alternative approaches or techniques such as non-chemical alternatives to pesticides.

MSs have not yet set clear criteria in order to ensure that the general principles of IPM are implemented by all professional users. Compliance with the principles of IPM at individual grower level is not being systematically checked.

Based on the above the General objective of this program is to train staff of competent authorities of EU MSs on the sustainable use of pesticides, improving the understanding of the IPM concept and IPM schemes moving towards development of criteria for assessment of IPM implementation at farm level.

TECHNICAL PARTNERS

The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority is an independent agency in the Ministry of Economic Affairs and a delivery agency for the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport.

• NWVA : https://www.nvwa.nl/

PROFILE PARTICIPANTS

The training course is mainly addressed to: 

• Representatives from central competent authorities involved in developing policies, drafting instructions/guidelines at national level, including crop specific IPM guidelines, co-ordination of control and reporting activities;
• Representatives from provincial/regional/local competent authorities involved in official controls at farm level (phytosanitary/plant protection authorities, paying agencies and/or control/certification bodies); and
• Representatives from research institutes, demonstration.

 The participants must be able to communicate in the English language and agree to actively disseminate the contents of the training course.