This booklet summarises the experiences over 20 years in Denmark in reducing pesticide hazards and use. PAN Europe believes that the Danish experience is highly relevant for other European countries and we are disseminating this information in the context of the forthcoming EU Thematic Strategy for a sustainable use of pesticides.
Pesticide use reduction was introduced in Denmark in 1986 by the first governmental Pesticide Action Plan. It was prompted by a major increase in the use of pesticides and a serious decline in farmland wildlife in the beginning of the 1980’s. The wild plant diversity in farmland, for example, decreased by 60% from 1970 to 1990, and the catch of partridges fell by 70% from 1970 to 1985.
The main reasons for pesticide use reduction are:
- to protect consumers and land workers against health risks and harmful effects resulting from the use of pesticides and from ingestion of pesticides through food and drinking water
- to protect the environment against harmful effects from pesticides, both direct and indirect, in farmland, water courses and affected natural habitats.