Action Plan for Sustainable Use of Plant Protection Products in the Åland Islands 2012.

This Action Plan for Sustainable Use of Plant Protection Products in the Åland Islands is a provincial cross-sectoral policy document covering the period of 2012-2020. The fundamental objective is to reduce adverse consequences of the use of plant protection products for human health and environment. Specific objectives are: 1. Reduction in health risks; 2. Reduction in environmental risks; 3. Promotion of integrated pest management; 4. Use of comparative assessment.
The Plan seeks to make agriculture and forestry more productive and sustainable. Measures to protect the environment are proposed in the Plan, which include: Sufficient and continuous environmental monitoring of plant protection products; Development of the environmental restrictions on the basis of risk assessments: Certain restrictions on use have been set as a condition for the approval of plant protection products with the aim of preventing environmental risks; Establishment of environmental quality standards for all plant protection products on the market; Buffer distance specified to protect aquatic organisms. To reduce the risks posed by plant protection products in green spaces, proposed measures include: Planning of information and training, in particular, for employees in the parks and green spaces sector; In selecting plants, hardy plants that tolerate the climate should primarily be chosen. Methods in which the ground is always covered with ground-cover plants should be favoured in the construction and care of green spaces.
The Plan contributes to enabling more inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems. In order to reduce health risks, measures covering consumer protection, residues of plant protection products and protection of employees and users are proposed in the Plan, including: investigation of consumer safety; sampling of products; supervision of the use of plant protection products and controls the supervision of cross-compliance; Assessment of the exposure of amateur growers is combined with the assessment of the exposure of professional users and only preparations that require minimal protective equipment are to be approved for amateur use; etc. Another objective of the Plan is to encourage the development and introduction of integrated pest management and alternative methods of cultivation, working practices and techniques and indicators. The intention is to reduce dependence on chemical plant protection products, but in such a way that plant health remains at the present-day high level. In addition, the Plan proposes a set of measures for handling and storage of plant protection products, equipment for application of plant protection products and inspection of these products; aerial spraying and organic crop protection.