Sustainability Desk gives priority to sustainable plant protection products
Beginning with the new year, the Board for the Authorisation of Plant Protection Products and Biocides (Ctgb) is opening a separate "Sustainability Desk" to prioritise the assessment of applications for plant protection products that contribute to more sustainable agriculture. This will ensure that Dutch growers have access to a wider range of products that meet the criteria for sustainability. With this initiative the Ctgb is responding to the call from legislators and society for more sustainable agriculture.
The criteria
To qualify for the priority assessment, the product application must meet two conditions. First, it must be an application for a plant protection product with at least one new authorisation in the Netherlands. Second, the active substance in the product must be either a low-risk chemical substance, a living micro-organism (including viruses) or a non-chemical substance with a non-toxic or selective-toxic effect (e.g. pheromones, plant extracts, nature-identical compounds).
Contribution to sustainable agriculture
The Sustainability Desk aligns with the Uitvoeringsprogramma Toekomstvisie Gewasbescherming 2030 (Implementation Programme for the Vision of the Future of Plant Protection 2030) of the national government. That programme focuses on more sustainable forms of cultivation with fewer plant protection products. Based on integrated crop management (ICM), the programme encourages farmers and growers to choose low-risk products for controlling pests, diseases and weeds.