For many years, Denmark was the only country that used treatment index (TI) to calculate pesticide usage in agriculture. In recent years, other countries have also started calculating their pesticide usage this way. This makes it easier to compare usage between countries for individual crops.

In the EU project ENDURE, which includes scientists and advisors from 10 different countries, the focus is on finding new methods for minimising pest problems and sharing current knowledge about plant protection. The overall goal of the project is to become less dependent on pesticide usage. Among other things, the project focuses on using alternative plant protection methods, reduced dosages, and damage thresholds.

Significant international differences

One of the benefits of the ENDURE project is that information has been gathered about pesticide usage in several countries, including information about treatment index in winter rapeseed and winter wheat in Germany, France, Great Britain and Denmark.

The results indicate that there are big differences between pesticide usages in the four countries. Usage in Denmark is much lower than in the other countries. Great Britain is the country with the highest usage in both winter wheat and winter rapeseed. The reason for the significant differences cannot be explained specifically, but several elements are important for the high usage level:

• Serious pest infestation
• Differences in climatic conditions
• More focus on gross yield than net yield
• Lack of policy action plans that focus on reducing the use of pesticides
• More company-based advice

As an example of the differences between countries, Great Britain has an average yield increase when using fungicides in wheat of 15 to 25 hkg/ha. This means that British farmers are concerned about yield loss and therefore often spray 3-4 times per season with fungicides.

In Denmark increased yield when using fungicides varies in winter wheat, typically from 5 to 15 hkg/ha. This means we have fewer disease problems than in Britain and can therefore make do with a lower use of fungicides.

It should also be noted that in the large countries there are marked regional differences. In Southern France, for example, they spray much less with fungicides than in Northern France due to fewer fungal disease problems.

Denmark’s low pesticide usage is the result of many years’ focus on maintaining a low level with the aid of several initiatives that include:

• Pesticide action plans that focus on intensive advice
• Using reduced dosages
• Using damage thresholds, regional warning systems and decision support systems
• Widespread use of resistant varieties

New framework directive in the EU

The EU has recently adopted a new regulation for pesticides, which increases approval requirements for pesticides. The consequences of this regulation are still unclear but it is expected that many pesticides will be banned.

EU has also passed a framework directive for the sustainable use of pesticides that describes the framework for the actual use of pesticides. One of the requirements is that in the future all EU countries must have national action plans for pesticides with the aim of reducing environmental and health effects when using pesticides. Another important element in the new framework directive is that by 2014 the individual countries must have implemented IPM (Integrated Pest Management), which aims at lowering the use of pesticides.

The framework directive requires that the individual EU countries construct systems that promote and stimulate adoption and use of IPM. In Denmark IPM is expected to be incorporated in the government’s new Green Growth plan.

Big differences in pesticide use between countries

Denmark’s very low level of pesticide use compared to the other big grain-producing countries is partly due to the fact that Denmark has already incorporated many of the IPM elements in its cropping plans. Since the various countries’ starting points with regard to pesticide usage are very different, the potential for reducing even more will also vary.

In Denmark we have, for example, already reduced pesticide use significantly by widespread use of smaller doses. This means that our chances for further reduction are less than in some of the other EU countries.

Denmark is working on preparing policy initiatives that will put even more pressure on the farmers to reduce the use of pesticides, which has been on the increase since 2002.

- In that regard it is important to remember that in comparison to our neighbouring countries we already have a very low level of pesticide usage. The low level in Denmark does not mean that further reductions are impossible, but they will require incentives and continuous attention, says senior scientist Lise Nistrup Jørgensen, who is one of the participants in ENDURE.

ENDURE, European Network for the Durable Exploitation of Crop Protection Strategies, is a so-called “network of excellence (NoE)” which is financed by EU’s 6th Framework Programme.

The aim of ENDURE is to create a European research network that will also exist after the funding of ENDURE ceases at the end of 2010. The research activities aim to achieve a better understanding of pest biology and the interaction between plants and their pests and, based on this knowledge, to develop new, innovative control strategies in which dependence on effective pesticides is reduced compared to the present. This can be achieved by combining analytical and system-based approaches and by promoting collaboration between biologists, agronomists, economists and sociologists. Another important goal of ENDURE is to ensure that new knowledge is communicated to all relevant parties: farmers, advisers, the industry, politicians and, not least, consumers.

Read more about ENDURE at www.endure-network.eu .

Senior scientist Lise Nistrup Jørgensen, Department of Integrated Pest Management, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Aarhus University, telephone: +45 8999 3652, email: LiseN.Jorgensen@agrsci.dk