Transposition into national law of the Directive establishing a Community framework for the sustainable use of plant protection products 2013, National Action Plan (NAP) for Luxembourg

This National Action Plan aims to implement into the Luxemburg National Law the Directive establishing a community framework for the sustainable use of plant protection products. The Plan settles two main general objectives: to reduce the risks to human health and the environment caused by the use of plant protection products and to promote safe, efficient and rational use of plant protection products. Together with these general objectives, a number of secondary objectives are defined: to promote production systems involving reduced use of plant protection products in agricultural areas; to reduce, and make safer, the use of plant protection products in non-agricultural areas; to improve the competitiveness of agricultural holdings through more efficient use of plant protection products. These objectives are to be achieved through measures set out in the NAP, which will be implemented in a way that is consistent with the 2014 2020 rural development plan, the national plan for sustainable development, the national water protection plan (protection of abstraction areas, etc.) and the national plan for the promotion of organic farming. The various measures set out in the NAP can be divided into the following categories: maintaining and improving the regulatory framework for the use of plant protection products (aerial spraying, training certification, protection of the aquatic environment and of very sensitive areas); indirect incentive measures aimed at reducing the use of plant protection products (advisory systems, plant disease and pest monitoring and warning system, etc.); and communication and awareness-raising.
The main priority of the Plan is to protect the health of users of plant protection products. In order to achieve this objective, the Plan proposes several actions to promote more sustainable agriculture practices and organic farming and production systems. The various measures set out in the NAP can be divided into the following categories: maintaining and improving the regulatory framework for the use of plant protection products (aerial spraying, training certification, protection of the aquatic environment and of very sensitive areas); indirect incentive measures aimed at reducing the use of plant protection products (advisory systems, plant disease and pest monitoring and warning system, etc.); and communication and awareness-raising. The document also proposes specific actions in the wine-growing sector, such as planting melliferous species in vineyards that have not been treated with insecticides, in order to attract more pollinating insects, and banning of certain plant protection products that are toxic to biological control agents. In addition, the document aims to encourage the use of non-chemical alternatives to the use of plant protection products, such as organic farming methods. Improvements to structural aspects of the landscape, sustainable cultivation practices and crop rotations, as well as increased biodiversity in general, are some other strategic actions foreseen at the document in order to achieve more efficient use of plant protection products.
In order to enable more inclusive and efficient agricultural systems, the Plan foresees several actions, such as the reduction in the use of PPPs of concern by means of aid to farmers. It also expects to improve the level of training for professional users in the rational use of plant protection products and integrated management and raise awareness among non-professional users of the risks associated with plant protection products, making alternatives to the use of these products more widely known. Other actions considered under the document are indirect measures, such as better training for professional users, agricultural information and advisory measures, and restrictions on application in certain more sensitive areas, for example in the vicinity of residential areas or in water protection areas. There will be a lighter inspection regime, with inspections every six years, for handheld sprayers and sprayers for small-scale use, used mainly in vineyards and orchards. In addition, an advisory system, co-run by the water supply companies (syndicats des eaux), the municipal authorities and the Chamber of Agriculture, has been established in some of these areas, providing advice, in particular, on practices based on rational use of fertilisers and plant protection treatments (taking account of specific risk indicators, including water protection, ecotoxicology, etc.). According to the document, this advisory system will be strengthened in order to meet the growing demand that will be generated by the forthcoming establishment of new water protection areas. The initiative also foresees the participation by professional users in the advisory system on rational use of plant protection products and integrated management is. In concrete: participation by agricultural holdings in a monitoring and warning network for plant diseases and pests; participation by agricultural holdings in specific agri-environmental measures (integrated management, reduction in use of plant protection products, etc.); percentage of UAA represented by organic farming; participation by farmers in the recycling system for empty plant protection product containers.
The plan also settles Risk reduction objectives to be achieved through a quantitative reduction in the use of certain substances of concern. Efforts will be especially focused on reducing the use of plant protection products containing active substances of particular concern, such as CMR substances (substances that are carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic to reproduction), high toxicity class (class A) substances, priority substances under the Water Directive and active substances that are toxic to bees.