Were in Brussels 1

SPRINT have been to Brussels for our latest review meeting at the European Commission! 🌍

This periodic review meeting offered a great opportunity to gain feedback from the European Commission and DG Sante and to further explain our research approach and findings relating to #Pesticides and #PlantProtectionProducts.

We left feeling motivated to continue our efforts to make our research impactful and excited for the final year of our project.

Copy of Copy of Sediment summary

We're excited to share our latest research from the #SPRINT project: a detailed study on evaluating the risks of plant protection products (PPPs) in water and sediment environments. 💦

This paper introduces an innovative methodology for identifying high-priority PPP mixtures, targeting both water and sediment habitats near agricultural areas.

Full paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969724074795?dgcid=author#s0060 

🔹 Key Findings:
There are significant differences in PPP risk rankings based on the approach—European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) vs. European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
The EFSA approach was found to offer a more balanced risk assessment by reducing the chances of risk overestimation.
The findings underline the importance of standardising PPP mixture risk assessments to improve ecological safety.
🔹 Methodology Overview: Using data from European and Argentinian case studies, we quantified PPPs in 64 water bodies and sediments. Analytical methods like liquid and gas chromatography helped identify concerning PPPs, which were then ranked by risk quotient and frequency of detection. The top-ranking PPPs were prioritised for further ecotoxicological testing in aquatic ecosystems.
🔹 Implications: This research provides a crucial step towards harmonised guidelines for evaluating PPP mixtures. Adopting a standardised approach could improve ecological outcomes by aligning risk assessments with actual environmental impacts, supporting sustainable agriculture and environmental protection. 🌍

Authors: Nelson Abrantes, Joana Pereira, Ana Belén Muñiz González, Isabel Campos, Irene Navarro, Adrian De la Torre, María Ángeles Martínez Rodríguez, Rima Osman, Chrow Khurshid, Paula Harkes, Esperanza Huerta Lwanga, Francisco Alcón, Josefa Contreras, Isabelle Baldi, Mathilde Bureau, Abdallah Alaoui, Florian Christ, Daniele Mandrioli, Daria Sgargi, Igor Pasković, Marija Polić Pasković, Matjaž Glavan, Jakub Hofman, Trine Nørgaard, Virginia Aparicio, and Vera Silva.

SPRINT ask the author 2

Join us for our second SPRINT Ask the Author webinar - 27/11/24 - from 12:30-13:30 CET! 

During this session, Vera Silva will join us to share insights about a recent SPRINT peer-reviewed article, Pesticide residues in European sediments: A significant concern for the aquatic systems? A concise summary of the article can be found here.

She will be joined by Aurea C. Chiaia-Hernández, who is a specialist in the analysis of organic contaminants in natural systems, including sediments, and their effect on microbial communities. We are looking forward to another entertaining and engaging webinar. 

Please register for the webinar by clicking here.

Copy of Sediment summary

We're pleased to share a new SPRINT paper: "Selected farm-level crop protection practices in Europe and Argentina: Opportunities for moving toward sustainable use of pesticides" 👏

👩‍🔬 Authored by Jennifer Mark (Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL), Peter Fantke, and Farshad Soheilifard (DTU - Technical University of Denmark), alongside many others from across Europe and Argentina, the paper highlights key findings on pesticide use and sustainable practices.

📌 Key highlights:

⭐ Analysis of over 1700 pesticide applications across 11 countries, including Europe and Argentina, highlighting differences in pesticide types and their costs.

⭐ The dosages of pesticides applied varied significantly—up to 20 times around the recommended doses—suggesting a need for more precise application strategies.

⭐ Perennial crops, particularly grapes and apples, had the highest pesticide application costs per hectare.

⭐ Non-pesticide approaches such as crop rotation, resistant crop varieties, and decision support systems were identified as effective strategies to reduce pesticide dependency.

⭐ Findings suggest that adopting sustainable practices can help minimise the negative impacts on human and environmental health, supporting informed decision-making for agricultural advisory systems.

📝 The study contributes to understanding pesticide application patterns and supports the development of guidelines aimed at moving towards more sustainable agricultural practices.

Read the full paper by clicking here.