European Pesticide Regulations and Latvia's Data Collection Experience

1. Existing EU Regulations concerning pesticide statistics and Latvia experience in pesticide statistics Guna Karlsone, CSB of Latvia

2. Substantiation for collecting pesticides data • Decision No 1600/2002/EC of the European Parliament and Council of 22 July 2002, laying down the 6th Environment Action Programme (6 EAP), recognized that: • the impact of pesticides on human health and environment, inparticular from pesticides used in agriculture, must be reduced; • it is necessary to achieve more sustainable use of pesticides, to reduce overall risks and the use of pesticides consistent with the necessary crop protection.

3. (continued) • Thematic Strategy on the Sustainable Use of Pesticides (adopted in 2006 by the European Commission) determines: • Detailed, harmonized and up-to date statistics on sales and use of pesticides at Community level are necessaryfor: • the development and monitoring of Community legislation and policies in the context of the Thematic Strategy on the Sustainable Use of Pesticides; • calculating relevant indicators on the risks for health and the environment related to pesticide use. • In view of the aim of calculating accurate risk indicators in accordance with the objectives of the Thematic Strategy on the Sustainable Use of Pesticides, statistics need to be detailed-up to the level of active substances.

4. Regulation (EC) No 1185/2009 • To establish a common framework for the systematic production of Community statistics on placing pesticides on the market and their use, Regulation (EC) No 1185/2009 of the European Parliament and Council of 25 November 2009 concerning statistics on pesticides and two implementing Regulations have been accepted; • Implementing Regulations: • Commission Regulation (EU) No 656/2011 of 7 July 2011 implementing Regulation (EC) No 1185/2009 of the European Parliament and Council of 25 November 2009 concerning statistics on pesticides as regards definitions and list of active substances; • Commission Regulation (EU) No 408/2011 of 27 April 2011 implementing Regulation (EC) No 1185/2009 of the European Parliament and Council of 25 November 2009 concerning statistics on pesticides as regards transmission format.

5. (continued) • Regulation No 1185/2009 includes 2 annexes: • 1st- statistics on the placing of pesticides on the market: • shall cover substances listed in Annex III; • the quantity of each substance listed in Annex III shall be compiled; • data shall be expressed in kilograms of substances; • the reference period-calendar year. • 2nd – statistics on agricultural use of pesticides: • shall cover substanceslisted in Annex III on each selected crop; • selection of crops shall take into account the most relevant crops for national action plans; • for each selected crop the quantity of each active substance in kilograms listed in Annex III shall be compiled; • the area treated with each substance shall be compiled.

6. National action plan • Directive 2009/128/EC of the European Parliament and Council of 21 October 2009 establishing a framework for Community action to achieve the sustainable use of pesticides has been adopted. • Member States must adopt the National Action Plan,which shall include measures to reduce risks and impacts of pesticide use on human health and the environment. Taking into account the requirements of the aforementioned Directive the crops to be surveyed must be selected in accordance with National Action Plan.

7. Selection of the crops • Regulation No1185/2009 concerning statistics on pesticides states: • the selection of the crops shall be designed to be representative of the crops cultivated and on the substances used; • in other words, a sufficient percentage of UUA should be covered, and at the time, a sufficient proportion of the products used in agriculture should be covered.

8. Timeline for fulfilling RegulationNo 1185/2009 requirements LV - Cerealsand rape (60% of sown area of agricultural crops) Other crops (vegetables, potatoes etc.)

9. Requirements for the data collection • Regulation No 1185/2009 concerning statistics on pesticides states that the data listed in Annex II (use data) must be obtained in five-year period by means of: • surveys; • administrative sources; • combination of these means, including statistical estimation procedures on the basis of expert judgements or models.

10. Data collection • Information on the use of pesticides can be gathered taking into account, in particular, the obligations pursuant to the Article 67 of the Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 (will be shown), They are: • professional users of plant protection products shall at least for 3 years, keep records of the plant protection products they use, containing the name of the product, the time and the dose of application, the treated area and crop; • they shall make the relevant information contained in these records available to the competent authority on request.

11. Experience of Latvia in pesticide statistics • As LV has a sufficient experience with carrying out of sample surveys, the method of survey has been selected. • Useful background for the implementation of the Regulation requirements was obtained during the implementation of the MTF project «Pesticide usage survey in Latvia» in 2007, when data on pesticide use on wheat were collected.

12. Selection of farms to be surveyed • CSB used the information of the EU direct payment database on cereal and rape areas declared in 2012 managed by the Rural Support Service (RSS) as well as CSB Statistical Farm Register data. • Holdings were selected by the following thresholds: • spring wheat, rye, triticale > 20 ha– full survey (100% of holdings); • winter wheat, winter and spring rape, mixed cereals > 40 ha - full survey (100% of holdings); • winter barley, buckwheat > 15 ha - full survey (100% of holdings); • oats and spring barley > 11 ha - full survey (100% of holdings); • Below thresholds – sample survey. • In total 4000 farms were selected.

13. Data collection • Survey engaged qualified regional inspectors from the State Plant Protection Service; it was launched in October and finished at the beginning of December. • The response rate was 99.6%. • In accordance with Plant Protection Law,farmers must keep records on the plant protection products used. • The survey was developed basing on the «common methodology for the collection of pesticides usage statistics within agriculture and horticulture» (Eurostat publication). • Data entry and processing has been done by the CSB staffusing program Access. • For quality control arithmetical and logical control procedures were applied (on thresholds of dose of application, for area treated etc.).

14. Statistics on pesticides placed on the market • Annex I of the Regulation No 1185/2009 concerning statistics on pesticides. • Data collection means can be the same as for the collection of the data on pesticide use. • Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 of the European Parliament and Council of 21October 2009 concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market has been adopted. • This Regulation lays down harmonized rules for approval of active substances and placing of plant protection products on the market. • Article 67 (record keeping) states that producers, suppliers, distributors, importers and exporters of plant protection products shall keep records of the products they produce, import, export, store or place on the market for at least 5 years • They shall make the relevant information contained in these records available to the competent authority on request.

15. Data collection in Latvia • In accordance with the Plant Protection Law, plant protection products may be distributed by merchants, which have obtained a special permit (licence) issued by the State Plant Protection Service (SPPS). • Merchants, which distribute plant protection products, shall ensure circulation thereof and accounting in accordance with the procedures prescribed by the Cabinet and each year by 1 April submit information to the SPPS regarding the preceding calendar year, with indication of the names and quantities of the plant protection products sold to users. • Compilation of the data and calculation of active substances is made by the SPPS with the help of special program

16. Pesticides placed on the market by category of use, kg of substance; 2011

17. Quality report • According with the Regulation No 1185/2009 concerning statistics on pesticides, a quality report on the data of the plant protection products placed on the market as well as on the data of the use of plant protection products must be sent to Eurostat (methodology used, description of estimations etc.). • Quality report on the data on the use of plant protection products must additionally contain a comparison between data on pesticide used and placed on the market. Data gaps must be explained.

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