Reducing pesticides use : the Ecophyto 2018 plan The role of usage indicators in evaluating the achievement of targets - Analyse n°4

The reduction of pesticides use is a complex issue from more than one standpoint. Firstly, this is so because of the large number of active ingredients and commercial products that can be used at very different dosages, ranging from a few grams to several tens of kilograms per hectare. The number of actors whose decisions have a direct or indirect influence on such use is also very large : farmers, processors and distributors, consumers, among others. And lastly, there are still gaps in our knowledge of the various different impacts and even of the scale of pesticide uses. For this reason, measurement, i.e. the use of monitoring indicators, is a key issue at the heart of this plan, which was put forward in September 2008.

The notes published in the CEP Analyses series are 4 to 8 pages evaluative or prospective briefs aimed at the general public. Based on research reports, studies, expert opinions or data analysis and statistics, they propose an overview of a topical issue and favor comparative approaches.