Public Good Agricultural Practices Certification Schemes in Chosen EU Countries

Abstract

Abstract In line with the Farm to Fork strategy and the European Green Deal plan for creating a sustainable food system, the European Commission has set goals for 2030: reducing the use of pesticides and the risks associated with their use by 50%, the use of fertilizers by at least 20%, the sale of antimicrobials used in animal husbandry and aquaculture by 50% and 25% of agricultural land used for organic farming. Implementation of these assumptions requires institutional support and providing farmers with a specific framework. Certification Schemes (CSs) in agriculture are one way to achieve these goals. The number of CSs that support the strategy in the EU member states is 170 intra-EU and 198 including associated countries. Together with Organic farming, the CSs on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) seem to be particularly important in reducing the use of pesticides and fertilizers. The aim of the article is to present selected issues related to CSs implementing the strategy of reducing the use of pesticides and fertilizers. These include the well-known Organic farming, but also the public, national level CS "Haute Valeur Environnementale" (France), CS "Sistema di Qualità Nazionale di Produzione Integrata per le Produzioni Agricole" (Italy) and CS "Integrowana Produkcja" (Poland), implementing GAP.