| After the application of plant protection products, professional users must, in accordance with Article 67 of Regulation (EC) 1107/2009 concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market, keep records of the name of the plant protection product used, the time of use, the quantity used, the area and crop treated and keep these records for at least three years.
Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/564 of 10 March 2023 has now specified and expanded the content of these recording obligations. From January 1, 2026, these records must be kept in detail, with geo-referenced application areas and in electronic, machine-readable form. In addition, Regulation (EU) 2022/2379 on statistics on agricultural input and output (SAIO) requires detailed annual statistics on the use of plant protection products from 2028.
Against this background, this project examined the feasibility and technical requirements of a system for the uniform recording of this usage data throughout Austria. These were summarized in a specification sheet and supplemented with a cost estimation for implementation and operation. In the event of a future technical implementation, the specifications are the basis for a corresponding invitation to tender.
In a first step, the legal basis and framework conditions were analysed and then the key stakeholders and relevant sources of requirements were identified. In the second step, a detailed needs assessment was carried out to identify the requirements, usually in survey workshops with the stakeholders concerned. Particular attention was paid to ensuring that all existing data and data sources (e.g. data from the official plant protection product register or from farm management systems) could be used as a basis for the reliable and simplified recording of plant protection product applications and that redundant data entries could be avoided. Based on the data and information collected, the functionalities and solution architecture of such a system were conceptualized and a detailed specification sheet was created.
In addition, the advantages of a uniform registration system and a central database for plant protection product applications were also highlighted.
The project results show how the future legally prescribed recording and documentation obligations can be fulfilled in a legally compliant, efficient, and user-friendly manner. |