Descrizione 1
Gianluca Maschio, Emanuela Pace, Sonia Rossi (ISTAT), Giovanni Seri (ISTAT)
The European Farm to Fork strategy sets two targets to be achieved by 2030: a 50% reduction in the use and risk of chemical pesticides and a 50% reduction in the use of the most hazardous pesticides. To measure progress towards these targets, two indicators have been defined based on the sales of active substances contained in plant protection products and the hazardous properties of these substances. The indicators described represent the European and national trends in progress towards the pesticide reduction goals of the Farm to Fork strategy. In 2022, the use and risk of chemical pesticides showed a 36% decrease at the European level compared to the 2015-2017 baseline period. For Italy, the reduction exceeds the European target, reaching 53%, with a 10 percentage point decrease in the last year. Regarding the use of the most hazardous pesticides, the national decrease in 2022 was faster than the European one, amounting to a 34% reduction compared to the European 25% (relative to the 2015-2017 period).
The European Farm to Fork strategy (from producer to consumer) is at the heart of the European Green Deal with the aim of making food systems fair, healthy, and environmentally friendly. The strategy focuses on the need to better balance the relationship between nature and the food system, considering the strong impact of the latter on global greenhouse gas emissions, natural resource consumption, and biodiversity loss. Our food systems will need to be repositioned within a pathway aimed at environmental restoration, while ensuring food security, nutrition, and public health, as well as economic accessibility of food and fairer economic returns. For the transition to a sustainable food system, the European Commission has announced two pesticide reduction targets to be achieved by 2030: a 50% reduction at the European level in the use and risk of chemical pesticides and a 50% reduction in the use of the most hazardous pesticides. To measure progress toward these reduction targets, two indicators based on sales data of active substances contained in plant protection products have been defined: the first relates to the overall chemical active substances weighted by their hazardous properties; the second relates to the most hazardous active substances, represented by substances “candidates for substitution.”
The purpose is to measure progress toward the targets of a 50% reduction in the use and risk of chemical pesticides and a 50% reduction in the use of the most hazardous pesticides by 2030. When contextualized at the national level, the indicators describe Italy's progress and allow comparison of this contribution relative to the European trend.
The European Commission, in line with the European Green Deal (COM(2019) 640 final), adopts the Farm to Fork strategy with the Communication (COM(2020) 381 final) to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee, and the Committee of the Regions. The strategy sets two targets to reduce the use of chemical pesticides in agriculture to be achieved by 2030. To measure progress toward these targets, the Commission has developed two indicators: the trend of use and risk of chemical pesticides and the trend of use of the most hazardous pesticides. Within the strategy, the most hazardous pesticides are plant protection products containing one or more active substances approved as “candidates for substitution” pursuant to Article 24 of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 and listed in part E of the Annex to Implementing Regulation (EU) No 540/2011, or containing one or more active substances listed in the Annex of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/408.
A common framework for the systematic production of community statistics on the marketing and use of pesticides is provided by Regulation (EC) 1185/2009 on statistics on pesticides.
Descrizione 2
https://food.ec.europa.eu/plants/pesticides/sustainable-use-pesticides/farm-fork-targets-progress_en
Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee, and the Committee of the Regions: A “Farm to Fork” strategy for a fair, healthy, and environmentally friendly food system. Brussels, 20 May 2020 COM(2020) 381 final.
The described indicators (trends in the use and risk of chemical pesticides and trends in the use of the most hazardous pesticides) are based on sales data. Sales represent a proxy variable, as actual pesticide usage data are not available.
Determination at the European level of the reduction targets for individual Member States.
Qualificazione dati
https://food.ec.europa.eu/plants/pesticides/sustainable-use-pesticides/farm-fork-targets-progress/eu-trends_en
UE, National
2015-2022
Qualificazione indicatore
For the calculation of the indicator on the use and risk of chemical pesticides, annual sales data of the active substances contained in chemical plant protection products are used. The substances are divided into four groups, each assigned a weight representing the risk associated with their use. The indicator is obtained as the weighted average of the quantities of each substance multiplied by their respective weight, relative to the average of the 2015-2017 three-year period.
The indicator for the use of the most hazardous pesticides is obtained by summing the annual sales of active substances that are candidates for substitution, weighted relative to the 2015-2017 three-year period.
The procedure for calculating the indicators is similar to that used for the harmonized risk indicator (HRI-1) established by Directive (EU) 2019/782 (Harmonized Risk Indicators (HRI) | PAN-Pesticides (isprambiente.it)) and is detailed on the EUROSTAT website: EUROSTAT Statistics | Eurostat (europa.eu).
The indicator on the use and risk of chemical pesticides in Europe reached 54% in 2022 compared to the 2015-2017 baseline period. For Italy, the value reached in 2022 is 47%, thus showing a reduction that exceeds the European target. Regarding the use of the most hazardous pesticides, the national indicator in 2022 stands at 66%, while the European figure is 75%.
The first indicator on the use and risk of chemical pesticides continues its decreasing trend in 2022, corresponding to a 36% decrease in the EU compared to the 2015-2017 baseline period, and 53% for Italy. The national reduction is faster than the European average, pushing the indicator beyond the target set at the European level.
Regarding the use of the most hazardous pesticides, the national and European indicators decline slowly over the reference period, with Italy showing a sharp reduction in the last year bringing the total decrease to 34%, compared to the European 25% (relative to the 2015-2017 period).
Dati
Figure 1: Trend of the use and risk of chemical pesticides
ISTAT, European Commission (DG SANTE)
Figure 2: Trend of the use of the most hazardous pesticides
ISTAT, European Commission (DG SANTE)
The first indicator shows in 2022 a 36% decrease in the use and risk of chemical pesticides in the EU compared to the 2015-2017 baseline period; for Italy, the reduction exceeds the European target, reaching 53%, with a 10 percentage point decrease in the last year (Figure 1). The reduction achieved in 2022 is encouraging toward a path of environmental sustainability.
Regarding the use of the most hazardous pesticides (Figure 2), the national trend in 2022, after a steady three-year period, decreases to 34%; the European reduction corresponds to 25% (relative to the 2015-2017 period). Although this second indicator shows slower reduction trends compared to the first indicator, it indicates positive development.
The observed reductions align with the 50% reduction targets set in the Farm to Fork strategy.