Survey on the Usage of Chemical Plant Protection Products

Until 1999 there were no systematic statistical surveys respectively other freely accessible information available in Germany on the actual usage of chemical plant protection products in agriculture. However, for a number of scientific problems as well as for political debate such data is urgently needed. Therefore, starting with the growth season 1999/2000, it was begun to undertake regional (survey regions), crop-specific surveys at regular intervals regarding the usage of plant protection products in the agrarian practice. These surveys were initially undertaken in cooperation with the plant protection services of the German states (Länder) and later on with professional associations and/or other institutions (contract parties). Thereby the most important data are collected field-based concerning all relevant plant protection measures:

• date of usage
• application are / indication (voluntarily)
• full name of the plant protection product
• spray rate plant protection product
• measure for spray rate of the treated surface

The regulation (EC) no. 1185/2009 on statistics on pesticides has become effective at the end of 2009. To implement it nine crop-specific company networks shall be established based on the experiences made with the surveys conducted so far (until 2009 known as NEPTUN-surveys). Starting in 2011, the members of such company networks will provide on a voluntary basis anonymised annual data of their usage of plant protection products. The hitherto existing NEPTUN-surveys will be replaced respectively continued by PAPA (or PAnel Plant protection products Applications), therefore.