Statistical presentation

Data description

The statistic shows the development in sale and use of pesticides in crop farming. The statistic is compiled on the basis of primary data on all legal substances used in farming, both regarding quantities and active substances in these.

Classification system

The table Sales of pesticides used in the agriculture and treatment frequency by group of pesticide and unit of measurement PEST1, contains pesticide groups:

Herbicides, fungicides, insecticides and growth regulators

The table Total pesticides sale by type of pesticide and unit of measurement PEST2 contains pesticide types:

Herbicides, fungicides, ingredients against algae, insecticides, ingredients against slimy organism in pulp, ingredients against vermin on animals etc., growth regulators, combined fungi- and insecticides, soil desinficering ingredients, rodent ingredients, deterrent ingredients and ingredients for woodwork treatment

Sector coverage

Agriculture.

Statistical concepts and definitions

Sales of pesticides are estimated in tonnes of active substances, tonnes of pesticides and number of products. The domestic production excludes exports. The sold quantities can vary from the use because of changes in stocks. The changes in stocks can sometimes be considerable, e.g. in connection with notices of tax increases.

The use of pesticides in crop farming is estimated in tonnes of active substances and kilogrammes of active substances per hectare. Furthermore, the figures are calculated on kilogrammes of active substances per hectare per application. Finally, statistics of frequency of application per hectare by crop products, pesticide groups and types of farming are compiled.

Only the products that are used in the field crops for combating weeds, diseases and vermin and for regulating plant growth are included in the calculation of the use of pesticides in crop farming. The areas treated with pesticides in crop farming consist of arable land with cereal, dried pulses, root crops, seeds for industrial use, seeds for sowing, green maize, grass and clover field in rotation, green fodder and vegetables grown in the open. Arable lands for fruit and soft fruit, nursery areas, permanent grassland and greenhouse plant production are not included. Fallow land is not included. From 1997 onwards, the organic areas are not included. The area covered in the statistics includes 97 per cent of the arable land in rotation in 1999.

The pesticides used in crop farming account for 80 per cent of the sales of pesticides in 1999. The Danish Environmental Protection Agency and the Danish Crop Protection Association assess how many pesticides are used in crop farming.

The indicator of frequency of application is used as an indicator of the general environmental impact of pesticides. This indicator includes the volume of active ingredients sold, spraying frequency and the area of arable land in Denmark.

Variables included:

Pesticide Active Ingredient:

Pesticide use: total sales of a given pesticide in a given year for use in crop farming.

Total area of arable land in rotation in Denmark in crop farming (hectare).

Frequency of application (calculated number of applications per year based on annual statement from industry describing the total volume of products sold).

Recommended rate of application per hectare cultivated.

General knowledge of patterns of use.

Total volume of pesticide usage in crop farming.

Methods for combining variables:

Frequency of Application (FA) = (kg a.iij/rate)i x 1000 hectarej

Kg active substances per hectare per application=(totalj/hectarej)/FA

where: rate =recommended application rate per hectare cultivated (kg a.i./hectare) hectare = area of arable land in Denmark i =a certain pesticide active ingredient j =a particular year (e.g., 1985) total=pesticide usage in crop farming

Statistical unit

Records

Statistical population

The sales statistics are compiled on the basis of primary data submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency, which collects information about the annual sales of pesticides from all the 116 producers and importers which have been approved by the Agency. The domestic production excludes exports. Subsequently, the data are summarised before being published.

The statistics on the use of pesticides in crop farming are compiled on the basis of data reported by producers and importers. Only products which are used in field crops for combating weeds, diseases and vermin and for regulating plant growth are included. They are estimated to account for 88 per cent of the total sales of pesticides for crop protection. The products intended for other outdoor purposes (e.g. fruit growing and market gardens) are as far as possible excluded.

The Environmental Protection Agency makes an assessment of the pesticides sold by crop type. Data on areas with the respective crops are extracted from the annual agricultural and horticultural census.

Reference area

Denmark.

Time coverage

1981-

Base period

Not relevant for these statistics.

Unit of measure

The following measurements have been used for for the statbank tabel Pest1:

Active ingredients pr. hectare (kg), Active ingredients (tonnes), Active ingredients pr. hectare pr. treatment (kg)

The following measurements have been used for the statbank table Pest2:

Weight (tonnes), Active ingredients (tonnes)

Reference period

Calenderyear.

Frequency of dissemination

The statistics are published annually.

Legal acts and other agreements

The Act on Statistics Denmark (Lov om Danmarks Statistik), Section 6.

Cost and burden

The statistics are based on administrative records. Therefore, there is no direct reporting burden in the compilation of these statistics.

Comment

For further information please contact Statistics Denmark.