SETAC Spotlight: A toolbox of strategies to allow successful reduction in copper PPP applications aligned with the European Green Deal

Currently copper is approved as a fungicide for more than 50 different diseases in viticulture, horticulture, hops, market garden and arable crops. Although copper formulations have been used for more than 100 years, there are no reported resistances which makes it a very important tool in pest management systems for conventional farming and, particularly, for organic farming.

The maximum copper quantity allowed in plant protection has been successively restricted in Europe over the years. In 2001, an EU limit of 8 kg/ha/yr was set. In January 2006, this value was reduced to 6 kg/ha/yr. The current amount of permitted copper use in the EU (as of 2019) is 4 kg Cu/ha/yr counted as an average over a 7-year period (i.e., a maximum 28 kg C/ha over 7 years).

The European Green Deal aims to reduce the use of pesticides in agriculture by half by 2030 whilst also targeting an increase in organic production to 25% of agricultural land. This proposed reduction on pesticide use presents a challenge for growers and is particularly severe for organic growers, who are prohibited from using synthetic pesticides and rely heavily on copper-based products. Therefore, the European Green Deal has increased interest in identifying strategies to limit pesticide inputs in agriculture.

In this work, a range of possible technical solutions were identified that can be used to reduce pesticide inputs and transport in the environment whilst maintaining effectiveness to control pests and disease. This includes improved pesticide product formulation and application technology (including precision farming); better disease prediction tools and optimisation of application timing; and strategies to limit pesticide transport to receptors (i.e., surface water). These options are generally applicable to all pesticide use, including copper. Considering significant reductions in copper use in agriculture in recent times, any further reductions will need to be carefully investigated as part of this overall effort to optimize pesticide use while limiting transport to receptors.

If you would like to discuss any of the topics raised in this article, feel free to contact us.

The poster is available for free download.

You can find all of the other posters that CEA presented at SETAC Dublin here. You can also find all of our publications from previous conferences and links to journal articles we have authored on our library page.

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