Draft Law on Plant Protection Products in development – Quality control comes first

The Ministry of Agriculture has begun developing a Draft Law on Plant Protection Products, with the aim of ensuring a high level of protection of human, animal and environmental health, while preserving the competitiveness of domestic agricultural production.

As announced by the ministry, the new legal framework regulates the production, registration, trade, safe use, handling and storage of plant protection products.

Officials say that the main goal and priority are the production of safe food and competitiveness on the market.

More efficient inspections and training

The key solutions of the law relate to improving the registration procedure and strengthening the efficiency of plant protection product control, according to a statement from the Ministry of Agriculture. This means that every product on the Serbian market must be registered, i.e. plant protection products must be assessed from multiple aspects, in order to obtain a solution that allows their placing on the market and application.

The new law also stipulates mandatory training for professional users on the safe application, handling, storage, transport and disposal of plant protection products, as well as regular periodic checks of the correctness of application devices.

The adoption of an Action Plan for the Sustainable Use of Plant Protection Products is also envisaged, which will establish objectives, measures, activities and plans for reducing risks as a result of the use of these products.

One of the important objectives of the adoption of this law is, as highlighted, further harmonization of national legislation in the field of plant protection products with the EU acquis, which will enable better placement of agricultural products on the domestic and foreign markets.

Healthier food and product competitiveness

The new law should also contribute to the fulfillment of Benchmark 1 for the opening of negotiations in Chapter 12 - Food Safety, Veterinary and Phytosanitary Policy, as well as the fulfillment of the conditions for the opening of Cluster 5 - Resources, Agriculture and Cohesion.

It is expected that the adoption of the Law on Plant Protection Products, the implementation of which will not incur costs for citizens, will have a strong socioeconomic impact, as it ensures, according to the ministry’s assessment, healthier food, more stable production, environmental protection and competitiveness of domestic producers.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management has invited representatives of state bodies and organizations, associations, business entities, experts, as well as other interested parties, to submit their comments, suggestions and proposals on the proposed document by November 25 to the email address listed on the ministry’s website.

Ministarstvo poljoprivrede, šumarstva i vodoprivrede Republike Srbije

Draft Law on Plant Protection Products

production of plants

registration of plants