Integrated Pest Management for European Agriculture

Abstract

Legislation to decrease pesticide use in European agriculture has given renewed importance to integrated pest management (IPM). The adoption of IPM on all farms in Member States by 2014 is the main pillar of the European Union (EU) strategy to mitigate the negative impact of rapid pesticide removals on European food production. Legislation under the EU’s ‘Thematic Strategy for the Sustainable Use of Pesticides’ is directed primarily at minimizing the impact of pesticide use on the environment and human health and does not promote IPM directly. In the absence of IPM technologies which can deliver significant decreases in pesticide use while maintaining the productivity and profitability of agricultural and horticultural enterprises, further action will be required to develop and promote IPM and to ensure that IPM adoption results in a decrease in total pesticide use. All Member States are required to develop National Action Plans (NAPs) for pesticide reduction and implementation of IPM. The approach in the NAPs differs between EU countries and the United Kingdom (UK); the UK Government favors voluntary measures and aims to decrease the non-target effects of pesticides, not necessarily a decrease in pesticide use. In the EU Framework Directive on the sustainable use of pesticides, there are eight general principles for integrated pest management and this chapter describes how each of these is being addressed in UK agriculture.