Sustainable plant protection and food safety in Hungary

By: STA Date: 2024. 09. 17. 09:00

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In a rapidly changing world, food safety is becoming increasingly important, the basis of which is plant protection. The EU currently operates one of the strictest plant protection product licensing systems and is committed to integrated plant protection, stated Dr. Márton Nobilis, State Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, at the conference “Towards a resilient European agriculture – Reducing dependence on pesticides” in Budapest.

(Photo: Pixabay)

The State Secretary emphasized that the EU’s regulatory environment must create a balance that supports environmental and climate goals without jeopardizing food security. He then explained that Hungary uses less pesticides than the EU average: while in the EU between 2012 and 2020, an average of 2.2 kg/ha of pesticides was used, it was only 1.65 kg/ha in Hungary. This lower level of use also confirms Hungary’s commitment to sustainable plant protection, and is also an important aspect in light of the withdrawn SUR proposal at the beginning of 2024.

The State Secretary said that Hungary developed an Action Plan in 2022, the aim of which is to double the area of organic farming by 2027

This is a significant step towards reducing the use of pesticides and strengthening sustainable agricultural practices, which is also facilitated by the subsidies of the new Common Agricultural Policy Program. Dr. Márton Nobilis emphasized that reducing the risks of plant protection products should be based on integrated plant protection, which is supported in Hungary by the experts of the Hungarian Chamber of Plant Protection Engineers and Physiotherapists. The state secretary emphasized that the profession of plant medicine is key to the realization of sustainable and safe agriculture.