Evolution, not revolution: Integrated pest management gains ground in Poland

Biological plant protection products use natural substances or organisms, which either deter or attract pests, rather than chemicals. [SHUTTERSTOCK]

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This article is part of our special report Integrated pest management: A snapshot of action across the EU.

Integrated pest management (IPM) – a strategy which uses a hierarchy of plant protection products to minimise the use of chemical pesticides – is gaining popularity in Poland, but producers say change must happen by ‘evolution rather than revolution’.

In Poland, the world’s third largest apple producer, fruit growing is one of the most influential branches of agriculture – and the sector has embraced IPM, according to  Mirosław Maliszewski, head of the Association of Polish Fruit-Growers (ZSRP).

“It can be said that in the Polish sector of fruit production, IPM is compulsory. The fruit growers have implemented it for ages. It’s nothing new for them, we meet the relevant criteria and requirements. So w

In Poland, there are special certificates for farmers that apply integrated pest management in their crops, for which farms can receive additional support.

However, that aside, there has been “no special promotion of IPM among the Polish farmers and fruit growers,” he explained.

Meanwhile, the withdrawal of more hazardous plant protection chemicals from the market has helped encourage the uptake of IPM practices.

“The fruit growers have already gotten used to the fact that there are fewer such pesticides on the market, hence the growing interest in natural and biological plant protection products,” Maliszewski explained.

Biological plant protection products use natural substances or organisms, which either deter or attract pests, rather than chemicals.

Those include pheromone traps, limes, formulations containing fungi and bacteria or even colonies of insects that feed on pests.

“We hope that the popularisation of natural plant protection methods progresses. We believe it [IPM] is not only about limits and regulations, but also consumers’ decisions,” Maliszewski said.

Fighting fire with fire: pest control by playing nature at its own game

Biological pesticides are rapidly gaining attention as a sustainable and viable environmentally friendly alternative to chemical pesticides. However, they are currently hampered by maladapted regulation.

However, he stressed that this must happen “by evolution, not revolution” given the current lack of biological preparations available that could replace pesticides.

“For us, this is the factor that is most uncertain. About the other factors, we are not afraid,” he said.

To help promote the uptake of IPM, Dariusz Mamiński from the Polish ministry of agriculture told EURACTIV.pl that the country has made a concerted push for information dissemination.

The ministry offers up-to-date methodologies for integrated plant protection of individual crops, as well as signalling guides, plant protection programmes and pest organism signalling indications free of charge via the ‘Agrophage Signalling Platform’ website.

Meanwhile, the ministry official explained that IPM is at the core of Poland’s second national action plan for reducing risks from the use of plant protection products, which runs from 2018-2022.

“The key objective for Poland in relation to the implementation of the national action plan was the dissemination of the general principles of integrated pest management and the prevention of risks associated with using plant protection products,” Mamiński explained. 

The results of the monitoring of the implementation of the objectives of the national action plan, including the results of the risk assessment of the use of plant protection products, will be made available annually.

Meanwhile, work is underway at the ministry to prepare a third plan, for the period 2023-2027, considering the experience of the implementation of the previous plans, Mamiński added.< PHARMA GRADE WATER PLANT MANUFACTURER PHARMA GRADE WATER PLANT MANUFACTURER PHARMA GRADE WATER PLANT MANUFACTURER PHARMA GRADE WATER PLANT MANUFACTURER PHARMA GRADE WATER PLANT MANUFACTURER PHARMA GRADE WATER PLANT MANUFACTURER PHARMA GRADE WATER PLANT MANUFACTURER PHARMA GRADE WATER PLANT MANUFACTURER PHARMA GRADE WATER PLANT MANUFACTURER WATER FOR INJECTION ( WFI ) PLANT MANUFACTURER WATER FOR INJECTION ( WFI ) PLANT MANUFACTURER WATER FOR INJECTION ( WFI ) PLANT MANUFACTURER WATER FOR INJECTION ( WFI ) PLANT MANUFACTURER WATER FOR INJECTION ( WFI ) PLANT MANUFACTURER WATER FOR INJECTION ( WFI ) PLANT MANUFACTURER WATER FOR INJECTION ( WFI ) PLANT MANUFACTURER WATER FOR INJECTION ( WFI ) PLANT MANUFACTURER WATER FOR INJECTION ( WFI ) PLANT MANUFACTURER INCINERATOR SYSTEM MANUFACTURER INCINERATOR SYSTEM MANUFACTURER INCINERATOR SYSTEM MANUFACTURER INCINERATOR SYSTEM MANUFACTURER INCINERATOR SYSTEM MANUFACTURER INCINERATOR SYSTEM MANUFACTURER INCINERATOR SYSTEM MANUFACTURER INCINERATOR SYSTEM MANUFACTURER