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Farmers today need to produce more and better with less. In all likelihood, agricultural innovation made your latest meal possible. Virtually everything we eat comes from a farm, and EU farmers of all types and all sizes rely on ag tech.

Our industry strives to accelerate the development of new, better solutions to farmers’ problems of pests, climate, and diseases, and to advance enhanced farming practices that utilise more technology to produce our food while using less resource. We believe this is best achieved through a holistic approach that offers growers integrated and innovative pest management solutions. Farmers responsible for the more than 10.2 million agricultural holdings across Europe are also acutely aware that producing enough food sustainably cannot be achieved if the availability of these solutions is reduced.

CropLife Europe members are committed to delivering truly sustainable agriculture. Innovative farming tools, used in combination with good agronomic practices, are needed to meet ever-evolving consumer demands for food that is safe, tasty, diverse and affordable. More sustainable agriculture that makes the best use of all of the latest technology will ensure a more sustainable future.

We provide a wide variety of innovative farm solutions, from biopesticides to plant biotechnology; from organic solutions to conventional applications:

  • Our members are market leading companies that develop and supply pesticides and biopesticides to organic, conservation (low till, no till), agroforestry and conventional agriculture modelspest p.
  • Our members invest in digital and precision agriculture, which enable delivery of the minimum amount of product, at the right place, at the right time.n
  • Our members look for future plant biotechnology traits that will enable crops to thrive in difficult conditions or provide greater benefit in people’s diets.

Our mandate is to support and advance sustainable agriculture, providing the largest toolbox possible for farmers, so that they can choose the production model they want to use – knowing it is safe for the environment, for consumers and for themselves.

Test your knowledge

Question 1 Over the years, the average use rates of pesticides have dropped dramatically. How much active ingredient is now needed to protect 1 hectare of crops?
Question 2 Crop protection practices and other farm inputs help make farming more efficient. Over 40 years, how much land has this helped save from being used for agriculture?
75g500g2000g
An area the size of BelgiumAn area the size of EgyptAn area the size of India

75g! Years ago, farmers needed to use up to 2,400g of active ingredient to protect a hectare of crops from weeds. Today, thanks to advances in product efficacy, it takes as little as 75g.

That’s a 97% reduction in average use rate of herbicide per hectare.

SOURCE: Evolution of the Crop Protection Industry Since 1960; Phillips McDougall/Agribusiness Intelligence; April 2019, p 6.

 

An area the size of India! Crop protection practices and other farm inputs that help make farming more efficient helped save more than 370 million hectares of land from being used for agriculture over a 40-year period. That’s equivalent to the land area of India.

SOURCES: FAO. 2019. The State of Food and Agriculture 2019. Moving forward on food loss and waste reduction. Rome. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO. (and) Evolution of the Crop Protection Industry Since 1960; Phillips McDougall/Agribusiness Intelligence; April 2019, p 16.

17 February 2020

Talking about pesticides

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23 July 2019

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ECPA’s recent dialogue video highlights Integrated Pest Management

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30 August 2018

Let’s Cook!

ECPA releases a new web-based series focused on food production issues

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28 August 2018

Let’s Cook!

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11 October 2017

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José Palha: Farming for the Future

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13 September 2017

Dennis Binder: Always one step ahead

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17 July 2017

Pedro Maestre-Leon: Conservation Farmer

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19 June 2017

The Back Story: Olives in Greece

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15 May 2017

The Back Story: Tomatoes in Spain

Tomatoes don’t grow without a little bit of help. All farmers must protect their crops. A recent study found that crop protection products increase Spanish field tomato yields by 85%1.…

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27 April 2017

Marcus Holtkötter: “I think in terms of generations”

Five-hundred years of knowledge passed on from father to son by his ancestors surely makes Marcus Holtkötter an expert. Marcus operates 145 hectares of land in Munsterland, north-west Germany, growing…

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12 April 2017

Michal Kostrzewa: Pleasures and pain of modern farming

Michal Kostrzewa loves getting up in the morning. His pleasure: looking out at the fields to see how his crops are growing. Michal’s farm is based about 150 km from…

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