78% of plant-protection products sold in Ireland in 2020 are herbicides

Date:04-06-2022

According to data published on April 5, by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), herbicides were the main type of plant-protection product sold in Ireland in 2020.

This finding is part of a wider body of research by the CSO on tonnes of active substances contained in plant-protection products placed on the market in Ireland from 2012 to 2020.

The research also found that, in 2018, the amount of active substance in plant-protection product sales was at its lowest of the period 2012-2020 at 2,651 tonnes.

Tonnes of active substances in plant-protection product by group. Image source: CSO

It rose again by 12% in 2019 before falling by 2% in 2020 to 2,910 tonnes.

Other main findings:

• Active substances in herbicides comprised 78% of total active substances in plant-protection product sales;

• Fungicides and plant-growth regulators were the next most common types of plant-protection product sold in Ireland in 2020;

• Active substances in fungicides were 15% of total active substances in plant-protection product sales, while active substances in plant-growth regulators were 5% of the total;

• The total amount of active substance in plant-protection products decreased by 2% in 2020.

Clare O’Hara, statistician in the environment and climate division of the CSO, explained: “This new CSO release contains data on tonnes of active substances contained in plant-protection products placed on the market in Ireland from 2012 to 2020.”

Plant protection products are pesticides that protect crops or other plants. They are primarily used in the agricultural sector to aid in the production of arable crops, fodder crops, grassland, vegetables and fruit, but are also used in forestry, amenity areas and private gardens.

“Herbicides were the predominant type of plant-protection product sold in Ireland in each year from 2012 to 2020,” she said.

Year	All plant-protection products	% annual change
2012	2,782
2013	2,913	5%
2014	3,353	15%
2015	3,503	5%
2016	3,112	-11%
2017	2,942	-6%
2018	2,651	-10%
2019	2,972	12%
2020	2,910	-2%

Tonnes of active substances in plant-protection product sales, 2012-2020. Image source: CSO

“In 2020, active substances in herbicides made up 78% of total active substances in plant protection products,” she said.

She added that fungicides and plant-growth regulators were the next most prevalent types of plant-protection product sold in each year from 2012 to 2020.

Active substances in fungicides were 15% of the total in 2020 while active substances in plant-growth regulators were 5% of the total.

Year	Herb– icides	Fung– icides	Insect– icides	Plant growth regulators	Mollusc-icides	Misc.	All plant-protection products
2012	1,808	650	42	242	20	21	2,782
2013	2,005	594	46	247	6	15	2,913
2014	2,392	636	51	248	10	17	3,353
2015	2,482	688	58	255	10	10	3,503
2016	2,243	597	33	216	14	9	3,112
2017	1,916	634	53	316	15	9	2,942
2018	1,833	602	29	161	10	17	2,651
2019	1,845	922	23	157	8	17	2,972
2020	2,262	441	10	149	12	36	2,910

Tonnes of active substances in plant protection product pales by product group, 2012-2020. Image source: CSO

“Active substances in molluscicides comprised less than 1% of total active substances in plant-protection product sales in each year from 2012 to 2020, while active substances in insecticides made up just under 2% of the total in 2017 and were less than 1% of the total in 2019 and 2020.”