Healthy Growth, Sustainable Harvest. Second note on sustainable crop protection, period 2013 to 2023.

This Second note on sustainable crop protection, covering the period 2013 to 2023, provides to protect protect people, animals and the environment from the risks of crop protection products, and thus covers the fields of environment and water, food safety, human health. This Document also expresses the government's commitment to strengthen economic competitiveness in the agricultural sector, in order to achieve the goal of healthy growth and sustainable harvest and promote sustainability and innovation in the crop protection domain. In order to improve sustainability, the Document focuses on: integrated crop protection; control of diseases, pests and weeds; reducing emissions; limiting the use of chemical agents; improving water quality standards, both for water intended for drinking purposes, groundwater and for the ecological quality of surface water; reducing the use of crop protection products protection products outside agriculture; reducing risks and impacts of crop protection products on biodiversity; eliminating residues of crop protection products in food, although the targets for reducing residue limits (MRLs) have been met; protection of workers and employees from risky exposure to crop protection products.
The vision of the government is to strengthen the innovative power of the business community, knowledge institutions and government, aimed at the transition to a sustainable economy and green growth, in order to allow farmers and gardeners to do business and increase competitiveness of the Dutch economy. The Government adopts integrated pest management measures; preventive measures, such as crop rotation, non-chemical agents, including biological control measures, seed treatment; improves residues handling and storage techniques.