European Pesticide Regulations

Every day more customers ask for fruit that complies with the standards established by Eurep, "GLOBAL GAP", and that is certified according to this protocol; they are concerned about the food safety of the product, respect for the environment and the worker's safety. Some GlobalGAP standards are based on what they define as Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), and are very demanding.

The European Union is currently a major consumer of pesticides, since its consumption represents approximately a quarter of the world market. At the European level, the use of fungicides predominates, followed by herbicides, insecticides and other pesticides. The market exceeds 6 billion euros a year.

The advantages of using pesticides are evident in ensuring the quantity, quality and regularity of agricultural products. But we must not forget that these are toxic substances that can harm human health, both of applicators and consumers, and the environment. Currently in the European Union, all matters relating to food safety and environmental protection are priority issues, so a series of measures, both regulatory and control-related, are being taken in order to increase the protection of the health of people and animals, as well as of the environment, which directly affect the use of pesticides. These measures are becoming increasingly restrictive.

Currently, the European regulations on pesticides focus fundamentally on controlling the start of the chain through what has been called the Single European Register, and the end of the chain through regulations and controls on residues in food, with most of those referring to usage rules (limitations by zones, by crops, by application techniques, pesticide handler's licence, application equipment controls, usage surveillance plans, container disposal, etc.) being the competence of the member states.

In general, the European regulation aims to:

• Reduce risks to health and the environment.
• Improve controls over the use and distribution of pesticides.
• Reduce harmful active substances, replacing the most dangerous ones with safer alternatives, including non-chemical ones.
• Promote agricultural practices with reduced or no use of pesticides.
• Establish a transparent information system with appropriate indicators.