National Action Plan for the Sustainable Use of Pesticides (Ireland 2013).

This Plan, dated 2013, in relation to the Directive 2009/128/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 October 2009 establishing a framework for Community action to achieve the sustainable use of pesticides, more commonly referred to as the Sustainable Use Directive , that was already transposed into Irish legal system by Statutory Instrument No. 155 of 2012, European Communities (Sustainable Use of Pesticides) Regulations 2012. Among the requirements of the above mentioned Directive, is the requirement to adopt a National Action Plan (here called NAP) for the sustainable use of pesticides. This Plan here defines the actual national strategy to achieve a sustainable use of pesticides and sets down objectives, quantifiable measures and timeframes to reduce the risks associated with the use of pesticides. The approach used is a combination of statutory measures and voluntary industry-led initiatives, all aimed at ensuring the correct set of procedures and risk management issues generally rel\ated to the safe and sustainable use of plant protection products or pesticides on the territory if the Republic of Ireland.
The National Action Plan for the Sustainable Use of Pesticides, that are chemical products used to protect plants from diseases or pests or to control the growth of plants in agriculture, horticulture, forestry, amenity, home/garden and non-crop areas, here consists of 4 broad areas, with proposed actions in each area, as follows: Training, Education & Information Exchange (that includes topics such as statutory training requirements for advisors, distributors and professional users and establishment of registers of same; enhanced information availability for general public; establishment of Consultative Forum); Controls on Application Equipment (testing and certification of boom, orchard and standardized blast sprayers; register of inspectors of application equipment); Controls on Storage, Supply and Use (define storage standards for wholesalers, retailers and professional users of professional products and wholesalers of amateur products. Issue guidance on the safe storage of pesticides in the home/garden situation; general prohibition on aerial application; enhanced awareness and utilization of buffer zones, safeguard zones and further restrictions on use in sensitive and designated areas); Integrated Pest Management (or IPM), which includes the adoption of principles of IPM at advisor and professional user level.
This Plan aims to achieve a balance between ensuring human and environmental safety while maintaining continued viability of the farming and amenity sectors. It is foreseen that State Agencies and other stakeholders will contribute significantly to the implementation of the plan and some will have a critical role in the success of specific projects. As provided for in the Directive, each Member State is expected to maintain and revise its NAP to take account of the social, economic and environmental impacts of the measures, as well as the health of its citizens. It is proposed to revise the NAP within 2 years of its introduction and every 5 years thereafter. A review process, including the establishment of a Consultative Group, will be undertaken to advise on the revision of the plan in 2 years.