Regulatory aspects and phytosanitary legislation to support the eco-sustainable crop protection

Abstract

The European and Italian phytosanitary legislation has been initially focused on the consumer protection, regulating the production and trade security of pesticides and considering the risk of their residues in the food. Afterward, European regulation has also considered the impact of chemicals on workers and environment. With the approval of Directive 128/2009, which "establishes a framework for community action for the sustainable use of pesticides", for the first time its use is regulated, establishing common principles for their rational and safe use. With this important directive, National Action Plans are defined to promote the use of the most sustainable pesticides and provide indications to reduce their impact in agricultural, extra-agricultural and natural areas. In this context, the application criteria and the most updated regulatory reference framework are described and discussed.