The use of plant protection products in the European Union. Data 1992-1999

There is an increasing demand not only within the European Community for meaningful and accurate information on the consumption and use patterns of plant protection products. Pesticides have been the centre of controversy for a long time and are associated with risks to human health and/or to the environment. In the framework of the Sixth Environmental Action Programme, 'Environment 2010, Our Future, Our Choice' (6th EAP) the European Commission has adopted a Communication 'Towards a Thematic Strategy on the Sustainable Use of Pesticides', which is currently being discussed by all involved stakeholders. To accompany the development and implementation of a European policy with adequate statistical data, and since a mandatory data reporting scheme for pesticides usage has not been established yet, Eurostat has, in collaboration with the European Crop Protection Association (ECPA), launched a project to fill this data gap. The results are published in this report, which provides detailed information and time series (1992-1999) on the applied volumes, broken down by product types, chemical classes, treated crops, by Member State and on the EU level.