The introduction of plant protection products still has a long way to go. In order to maintain the current supply of resources, it is necessary to use the resources 'economically' and to limit emissions.
The above was the focus of the last meeting of the Agricultural Sprayer Academy (ASA), which took place at Bayer's Forward Farm in Abbenes. The location is a conventional arable farm, where sustainability (with regard to the application of different crop protection products) is applied in a practical way. Politicians as well as foreigners and farmers see on this farm how efforts are made to keep emissions to a minimum.
Communication
During the presentation, some current affairs about crop protection were also discussed. These matters are published to a wide public through several channels, for example through the publication of Zembla about plant protection products in bulb cultivation. "There are good substantive responses from the sector, but they do not reach the general public," says Michel Jansen, product stewardship expert at Bayer.
Increasingly, emotion seems to be winning over scientific evidence. It is argued, among other things, that emotion has ensured that the license for glyphosate has been extended by 5 years. Normally this is 10 years, at the time of re-evaluation. That is why it is important to be transparent and to share research. "In this way, the disappearance of resources can be limited," says Jansen.
Emission(s)
Drift has been an important pillar in the activity decision. However, it is stated during the course day that run-off has a larger share in emissions than drift: 50% versus 15%, respectively. Since drift emissions are easy to calculate with models, many policy measures have been introduced in recent years with regard to caps and techniques.
At the Forward Farm, research is also being carried out into how run-off can be kept to a minimum. Awareness is important here, says Jansen. "Farmers recognize the problem, but underestimate their own contribution. Both user and producer must be aware of how to handle the resources as carefully as possible in order to have the resources available for longer."