New risk indicator approach for Operators, Workers, Bystanders and Residents for a sustainable use of plant protection products.

In 2009, the European Union adopted the Directive on Sustainable Use of pesticides (SUD, Directive 2009/128/EC) establishing a framework for achieving a sustainable use of Plant Protection Products (PPPs) through reducing the risks and impacts of PPP use on human health and the environment, promoting integrated pest management and stimulating effective non-chemical alternatives. The core idea of the SUD is that it is necessary to monitor the use of PPPs through the implementation of an appropriate set of risk indicators to monitor progress and trends in risk reduction within the Member States. To contribute to this direction, following a comprehensive analysis of the risk (including procedures of risk assessment and risk management) and involving stakeholders in the decision process, specific toolboxes of practical indirect risk indicators of exposure of Operators, Workers, Bystanders and Residents were developed and are now available to be used by Member States (MSs) based on their specific context.

Perceptions of pesticides exposure risks by operators, workers, residents and bystanders in Greece, Italy and the UK.

The EU Directive on the sustainable use of pesticides (EU128/2009/EC) requires European Member States to develop training activities targeting occupational exposure to pesticides, and communication material aimed at residents and bystanders. Risk perceptions, knowledge and attitudes associated with passive and occupational exposure to pesticide potentially influence the extent to which different stakeholders adopt self-protective behaviour. A methodology for assessing the link between attitudes, adoption of self-protective behaviours and exposure was developed and tested.

Greening, new frontiers for research and employment in the agro-food sector.

The "greening" of the European Union's (EU) Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is meant to protect and enhance biodiversity as well as to make food production more sustainable by encouraging, for example, the responsible use of natural resources. The "greening" process seems to be driven by, first of all, the policy push through various policy and regulatory measures. Farmers have to invest time and resources in maintaining permanent grasslands, practice crop diversification and manage ecological focus areas for which they will receive compensation from the EU.

The stakeholder-consultation process in developing training and awareness-raising material within the framework of the EU Directive on Sustainable Use of Pesticides: the case of the EU-project BROWSE.

In September 2009, the Council of the European Union adopted the Directive on Sustainable Use of Pesticides (SUD). The core idea is that in order to achieve sustainable use of pesticides, it is necessary that everyone is conscious about the risks to both human health and the environment associated with the use of plant protection products. Therefore, in the SUD, training and raising awareness play key roles in order to achieve the objectives of the directive.