Statistics on sales of pesticides are used as an indicator of pesticide consumption in agriculture. Over the period 2011-2018, the sales of pesticides remained stable at around 360 millions kilograms per year in the EU. Four countries (France, Spain, Italy and Germany) accounted for over two thirds of the pesticides sales in the EU. These countries are also the main agricultural producers in the EU, together representing 51% of the total EU utilised agricultural area and 49% of the total EU arable land.
In terms of the categories of pesticides sold, the highest sales volumes in 2018 were for ‘Fungicides and bactericides’ (45%), followed by ‘Herbicides, haulm destructors and moss killers’ (32%) and ‘Insecticides and acaricides’ (11%).
Among the 14 EU Member States for which complete data are available for all major groups in both 2011 and 2018, the highest increase in pesticide sales was recorded in Cyprus (+94%), followed by Austria (+53%), France (+39%) and Slovakia (+38%). At the other end of the scale, the highest decrease was recorded in Portugal (-43%), followed by Ireland (-28%) and Czechia (-27%).
For more information: Eurostat Statistics Explained article on Agri-environmental indicator – consumption of pesticides
Methodological note: For the purpose of this article, the term ‘pesticides’ refers to plant protection products and covers the following categories: ‘fungicides and bactericides’, ‘herbicides, haulm destructors and moss killers’, ‘insecticides and acaricides’, ‘molluscicides’, ‘plant growth regulators’, and ‘other plant protection products’.