Pesticide risk indicators; What is the issue?

Abstract

Agroenvironmental policies adopted in the European Union and in Portugal consider environment and human health a major issue. The evaluation of policy effects based on a framework of environmental indicators is referred on multiple legislative documents. In Portugal, several public and private organisms, tried to monitor the agricultural impacts, namely, those related to pesticide use. There isnt available information related to pesticide consume (the available indicators are based on sales), or to any other environment effect due to pesticide use, as soil quality or biodiversity loss, that would allow an effective assess of impacts caused by agricultural activities. However, farmers, technical and certification organizations, research teams, public services collect systematically information that will be of major help for the establishment of a national indicators framework, that might assess the impacts of pesticide use and risks. Is it so difficult?