Project description

Plant protection products are used to reduce crop losses due to pests, diseases and weeds and to ensure quality. Plant protection products are subject to a two-stage, science-based authorisation procedure. Only after an active substance has been approved at EU level can plant protection products be applied for at national level and authorised following a positive review.

With the introduction of the substitution principle in the plant protection sector in 2011, a new category of active substances was created - the substitution candidates. These are authorised active substances with undesirable properties that are to be gradually replaced by other active substances or alternative processes and methods. In the European Commission's Farm-to-Fork Strategy, the aim was formulated to reduce the use of these active substances by 50 % by 2030. In the EU, a total of 51 active substances were classified as candidates for substitution in 2023. Of these, 37 were contained in authorised plant protection products in Austria. The quantity of active substances classified as candidates for substitution placed on the market in Austria in 2021 was 536 tonnes (9% of the total quantity). The eight most important active substances in terms of quantity (aclonifen, chlorotoluron, flufenacet, copper hydroxide, copper oxychloride, pendimethalin, tebuconazole, ziram) account for around 80 % of the total quantity.

In the ReductionPSM project, the active substances classified as substitution candidates were listed and the Austrian authorisation situation for plant protection products was evaluated in detail. The importance of the active substances for agriculture was estimated on the basis of the area treated (active substance application rate per hectare) and their use in agricultural crops.

Results

The assessment of the substitutability of the substitution candidates was carried out for 16 selected crops and for each indication (combination of pathogen and crop) on the basis of various criteria. The criteria were the guarantee of resistance management (number of different mechanisms of action) and the availability of alternatives (number of alternative active substances, non-chemical alternatives).

A total of 448 indications of fungicides, 191 of insecticides, 66 of herbicides and 2 of other types of action were assessed for substitutability. The greatest potential for reducing the use of substitution candidates exists for fungicides, followed by herbicides. There are hardly any substitution options for insecticides and other types of action.

The substitution candidates fludioxinil, metalaxyl, difenoconazole, ziram, tebuconazole, cypermethrin, nicosulfuron, esfenvalerate and lambda-cyhalothrin have the greatest significance based on the area treated (> 100,000 ha). Fludioxinil, metalaxyl and ziram are mainly used for seed treatment.

Of all the crops analysed, the substitution candidates in soybean and sunflower are the most important, as there are very few alternative active ingredients and mechanisms of action. In principle, all substitution candidates could be completely replaced in wine (integrated production).

The impact of a reduction in the use of substitution candidates on the quantity placed on the market was estimated. If the substitution candidates categorised as substitutable are replaced, the total quantity of substitution candidates placed on the market decreases by 164 tonnes (30.5 %). Broken down by type of action, 115 tonnes of this is attributable to fungicides, 48 tonnes to herbicides and 0.3 tonnes to insecticides. The greatest potential (a total of 157 tonnes or 96 %) lies with the four fungicidal active ingredients copper oxychloride, tebuconazole, copper hydroxide and difenoconazole as well as the two herbicidal active ingredients flufenacet and pendimethalin.

Recommendations for dealing with substitution candidates:

Priority should be given to plant protection products that do not contain substitution candidates.

However, resistance management must be taken into account. A change of active ingredient to avoid the development of resistance must be observed. Plant protection products containing substitution candidates can therefore also be used.

Avoid the use of plant protection products containing substitution candidates in indications that are categorised as category 1 (= substitution candidate is replaceable).

Benefits of the project

The focus is on raising awareness among farmers, advising stakeholders (associations, organisations), but also specifically on communicating basic recommendations for dealing with substitution candidates in agricultural practice, taking into account the concrete results from this project.

Further information

DaFNE research platform