Action Plan for the Sustainable Use of Plant Protection Products for 2013-2017

The Action Plan for the Sustainable Use of Plant Protection Products for 2013-2017 is a sectoral actional plan of Estonia. Its objective is facilitating the implementation of the Directive 2009/128/EC aimed at setting quantitative objectives, targets, measures, timetables and indicators to reduce the risks to and impact on human health and the environment of pesticide use and at encouraging the development and introduction of integrated pest management and of alternative approaches or techniques in order to reduce dependency on the use of pesticides.
The Action Plan aims to make agriculture, forestry and fisheries more productive and sustainable. To this end, it is planning to create conditions required for the implementation of IPM and alternative pest management practices or techniques. The first priority will be given to activities that result in creating conditions required for the implementation of IPM and relevant information will be made available to the parties concerned. Appropriate guidance materials will be prepared and updated on a regular basis. The objective is to develop and make available measures that facilitate the implementation of the principles of IPM and different practices or techniques of pest management. To conduct research on IPM and to communicate the findings of studies. To analyse the implementation of IMP and to introduce the principles of IPM on a regular basis. The objective of the measure is to promote agricultural production with low input of plant protection products. Within this measure, activities aimed at encouraging the introduction of plant protection with a low use of plant protection products will be planned. The Action Plan also aims to promote national cooperation in the field of plant protection products and to improve state supervision. The main activities under this measure are developing cooperation between the stakeholders of plant protection products and improving the efficiency of the planning and organisation of supervision between different supervisory authorities. The document also envisions to ensure the availability of sufficient information on plant protection products to the general public. The main activity under this measure is raising public awareness with regard to plant protection products; to this effect, awareness-raising campaigns will be organised, relevant information materials will be prepared and distributed and studies will be conducted on information needs. In addition, the Action Plan targets to ensure the availability of advisory services regarding the safe use of plant protection products in Estonia that are based on updated knowledge. The main activity of the measure is the development of the advisory service in the safe use of plant protection products by raising advisors awareness and through this to ensure the availability of qualified advisors, including those who have completed training in plant protection. Finally, another objective of the Action Plan is to ensure the availability of training in plant protection with a consistent quality. The effective training programme in plant protection will be brought into conformity with the requirements of Directive 2009/128/EC. The actions include the timely drafting of the legal act concerning plant protection, the preparing of training and information materials necessary for training session and their updating based on needs. Training sessions for providers of plant protection training will be organised.