The European Commission proposes updated rules for agricultural statistics on pesticides and fertilisers

The Farm to Fork strategy’s ambitions and targets have created needs for new data on pesticide and fertiliser use. In January 2021, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a new Regulation on Statistics on Agricultural Inputs and Outputs (SAIO Regulation), covering data on agricultural production (crops and animal), plant protection products, nutrients and agricultural prices. For the first time, data on organic production and products will be integrated into the data sets to ensure consistency with other agricultural production statistics.

IFOAM Organics Europe welcomes the Commission’s proposal as it paves the way for developing coherent indicators for monitoring the implementation of the CAP’s environmental measures and the Sustainable Use of pesticides Directive (SUD).

Currently, indicators on pesticides do not provide sufficient information as they focus only on the quantity of pesticides sold, or the number of applications of a product. For the organic movement, it is crucial that the data collected reflects the plant health strategy adopted by farmers, where pesticide use is one element among others (choice of varieties, crop rotation, prevention measures, etc…).

We will continue monitoring the legislative process closely to ensure that these developments are considered by the co-legislators.

Please contact [email protected] for questions on pesticides and natural inputs. Do note that we prioritise our members’ requests. For information about what you can gain from being a member, read our membership page and contact [email protected].