Pesticides include (1) herbicides, (2) insecticides, (3) fungicides, (4) molluscicides, (5) growth regulators, and (6) other substances. Sales statistics are based on the weight of active substances, in tonnes. Comparable figures[1] are obtained when sales volumes are divided by utilised agricultural area (UAA). In Finland[2], the amount of pesticides sold for agricultural use was the sixth lowest per hectare in Europe in 2015.
Sales of pesticides per hectare
Source: own calculations based on Eurostat pesticide sales statistics [aei_fm_salpest09] and Utlised Agricultural Area (UAA) [apro_acs_a].
The sale of active substances in pesticides for agricultural and horticultural use has varied between 1,480 tonnes and 1,750 tonnes over the past 10 years. The figure for 2015 was 1,731 tonnes, 108 tonnes higher than the year before. The amount of herbicides totalled 1,368 tonnes and sales accounted for about 80% of total sales of active substances. The most sold active substance was glyphosate (859 tonnes).
Sales of pesticides used in forestry have increased dramatically over the past 10 years. In 2003, sales of products used in forestry accounted for less than one percent, while in 2015, they accounted for around 60% of total sales of pesticides. Urea-based preparations approved for the prevention of Annosum root rot, which entered the market in 2003, account for the rise in sales.
Database table
References
[1] Comparability is somewhat undermined by the fact, that in some countries, the statistics for certain categories of pesticides in the six main groups are missing or confidential. However, the effect of this missing data on the total sales in the EU-28 countries is not more than 0.003%. Eurostat – Agri-environmental indicator – consumption of pesticides With the exception of Norway, sales figures for one to three main groups are missing from each of the top 8 countries in 2015, due to availability problems or confidentiality. This involves the pesticides lowest in volume, (4) – (6) Molluscicides, growth regulators and other pesticides.
[2] According to Eurostat’s practice, the urea used in the forestry sector has been deducted from the Finnish agricultural usage figures. More details: Eurostat – Pesticide sales statistics Figure 4: Pesticide sales by UAA, by country, 2014, link
Photo in upper edge: Pixabay