About the targets
In 2020, the European Commission announced two non-legally binding pesticide reduction targets.
These are a 50% reduction in the use and risk of chemical pesticides and a 50% reduction in the use of more hazardous pesticides.
Each year, the Commission publishes progress at European Union level towards meeting both targets.
Background information: how is progress being measured?
Target 1 - 50% reduction in use and risk of chemical pesticides
This target will be measured based on:
- the quantities of active substances contained in the pesticides which are placed on the market (sold), and therefore used, in each Member State, and
- the hazard properties of these active substances
Target 2 - 50% reduction in the use of more hazardous pesticides
This will be measured using data on the quantities of more hazardous active substances, the so called ‘candidates for substitution’, contained in the pesticides which are placed on the market (sold), and therefore used, in each Member State.
In the context of these targets, more hazardous pesticides are plant protection products containing one or more active substances approved as candidates for substitution in accordance with Article 24 of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 and listed in Part E of the Annex to Implementing Regulation (EU) No 540/2011, or containing one or more active substances listed in the Annex to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/408.
In both cases, the trend is compared to a three-year baseline, comprising the average of 2015, 2016 and 2017.
Data on the sales of pesticides
Eurostat annually publishes EU-level data on the sales of plant protection products (PPPs) showing the sales of different categories.