EIP-AGRI Focus Group Non-chemical weed management: Final report

EU agriculture has become increasingly dependent on the use of herbicides and of pesticides in general, which has helped boost agricultural yield and food production. At the same time, herbicides can have effects on the environment, non-target organisms, and animal and human health. Therefore, EU and Member State policies seek to reduce reliance on these products by, among others, designing and implementing more integrated approaches for pest management that at the same time safeguard the competitiveness of agriculture in the EU. Non-chemical weed management techniques range from preventive to curative strategies (e.g. crop rotation, cropping systems, tillage, mechanical weed control, use of alternatives to critical active substances) and cover both the organic and the conventional sectors. This report features the results from the EIP-AGRI Focus Group ‘Non-chemical weed management’, which explored the challenges and opportunities for the implementation of non-chemical weed management practices in arable cropping systems in the EU.