The importance of plant protection in the national economy

A plant protection product (pesticide) is any preparation that is suitable for inhibiting the biotic damage of crops and / or ornamentals by keeping the harmful organism (e.g. animal pest, weed, pathogen) away, retarding its growth or rendering it infertile.
The authorization and marketing of plant protection products are regulated by European Union Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009.
According to professional consensus, efficient agricultural management necessary for the self-sufficiency of the country is currently unthinkable without adequate plant protection tools. Pesticides are currently the most widely used means of controlling various pests (insects, fungi, bacteria etc.). Although strict EU regulations remove important active substances for Hungarian farmers every year, new active substances and new combinations of licensed ones can still be used to fight for a healthy crop.

The marketing, use and thus the authorization of the preparations, and in many cases also the manufacturing, fall in the scope of national competence. According to the latest statistical report of the National Center for Agricultural Research and Innovation, almost 27,000 tons of plant protection products were sold to direct agricultural users in Hungary in 2019.

Factors hindering the success of plant protection

In addition to climate change, introduced species and difficult-to-predict weather conditions, the reduction in the number of active substances also makes it impossible to control pests effectively. This poses challenges to producers, distributors, farmers – and last but not least to consumers.

One of the aggravating factors is that, in addition to pure scientific facts, professional decisions in the European Union are greatly influenced by social pressures.

The other factor is that risk-based regulation is being replaced by a risk-based approach, the essence of which is that the authorization or exclusion of plant protection products is not only based on a complex assessment of risk factors, but also on the examination of certain exclusionary properties. As a result, several active substances have been withdrawn in recent years and decision-makers are planning to withdraw more active substances.

One of the basic rules of integrated pest management is the highly skilled use of authorized substances to reduce the risks – but due to the withdrawal of active substances, only a few types of active substances are now available on the market today, which increases the chances of developing pesticide resistance. An in-depth study of environmental impacts is time and resource consuming, so registration processes are also time consuming. As the research and development processes can last for 4-6 years, it is extremely important to reduce the administrative burden and make the processes smoother.

At present, the authorization system for plant protection products and their products is overburdened in almost all Member States. The most common disincentive factor is the lack of resources for the authorities.