Finnish National Action Plan on the Sustainable Use of Plant Protection Products for 2018-2022.

This National Action Plan on the Sustainable Use of Plant Protection Products is a national cross-sectoral policy document. The objective is to reduce the risks of the use of plant protection products to human health and the environment. This new Finnish National Action Plan (NAP) on the Sustainable use of Plant Protection Products covers the years 2018-2022. The first NAP was published as a working group memorandum of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in March 2011, which was intended to remain in force until 2021.
‘Plant protection products’ (PPPs) refers to products used, for example, to control weeds, animal pests or plant diseases. PPPs are intentionally applied on crops grown for food and in their environment. The use of PPPs may involve risks to human health and the environment. The NAP seeks to make agriculture and forestry more productive and sustainable through setting the fundamental objective of the NAP as: to reduce the risks of PPP use to human and animal health and the environment. The NAP also aims to advance the introduction of integrated pest management and alternative control methods. Furthermore, the purpose is to reduce dependency on PPPs to the extent justified in terms of the health and environmental risks involved in the use of PPPs. Measures are proposed in the NAP, including: 1. The steering group convenes regularly to monitor the implementation of the NAP: Performing of PPP risk assessments and making related decisions; participating in the development of risk assessment practices at the EU level; 2. Specific measures to protect the aquatic environment and drinking water to achieving and maintain a good chemical and ecological status in surface waters and groundwater in terms of PPPs, and prevent any deterioration in the status; etc.
The Plan seeks to contribute to more inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems through measures such as: Arrange basic plant protection training events for professional PPP users, PPP distributors, and plant protection advisers; Retailers of products approved for professional use must always have at least one staff member in their employment holding a certificate; Disseminate information about the safe use of PPPs to the general public; Continue the controls of the levels of PPP residues in food and feed; Inform professional users the risks involved in counterfeit products and counterfeit products are controlled; Restrictions on use of PPPs are imposed where necessary; Farmers are informed of IPM methods at plant protection training events; The advisory services for farms provide advice on IPM and organic production; IPM and organic research is carried out at research institutes; Investigate alternative methods to control invasive alien species and weeds in green areas. 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.