Statistics Netherlands (SN)

Environmental Unit, The Hague

Henri Faasdreef 312 | Postbus 24500 | 2490 HA Den Haag

See sub-concepts below.

The data set comprises the annual sales of active substances contained in plant protection products placed on the national market for one calendar year according to the Regulation (EC) No 1185/2009 as amended by Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/269 of 16 February 2017 as regards the list of active substances.

1. Besluit gegevensverwerving CBS. Article 11d. (Resolution data processing Statistics Netherlands)

2. Besluit Gewasbeschermingsmiddelen en biociden. Article 25a en 26. (Resolution plant protection products and biocides)

1. Statistical Office, Statistics Netherlands or CBS.

2. Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality or Ministerie LNV.

1. 2003, last updated in 2016

2. 2007, last updated in 2018

All variables are covered.

No different definitions observed.

The data are expressed in kilograms of active substances.

There is awareness that in some cases data could have been provided in other units like for example tablets. If data are high compared to the year before this is investigated.

The classification of the active substances in plant protection products is annexed (Annex III) to Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/269 of 16 February 2017 amending Regulation (EC) No 1185/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning statistics on pesticides.

The active substances are classified according to chemical and functional similarity. Aggregation levels in descending order comprise: major groups, categories of products, chemical classes and active substances.

The statistics cover the wholesale and retail trade sector operating in placing plant protection products on the market.

All authorisation holders of plant protection products report the quantity of all active substances that are placed on the market nationally for professional use (incl. import and export data).

Sales of not professional use (for households) is not included.

This data collection comprises pesticide sales data based on the term 'placing on the market' as defined in Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 October 2009 concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market. The scope of the Regulation covers plant protection products and their active substances as can be seen from the key terms of the act immediately below:

Plant protection products: products consisting of or containing active substances, safeners or synergists, and intended for one of the following uses:

• protecting plants or plant products against all harmful organisms or preventing the action of such organisms, unless the main purpose of these products is considered to be for reasons of hygiene rather than for the protection of plants or plant products;
• influencing the life processes of plants, such as substances influencing their growth, other than as a nutrient;
• preserving plant products, in so far as such substances or products are not subject to special Community provisions on preservatives;
• destroying undesired plants or parts of plants, except algae unless the products are applied on soil or water to protect plants;
• checking or preventing undesired growth of plants, except algae.

Active substances: substances or micro-organisms, including viruses, having general or specific action against harmful organisms or on plants, parts of plants or plant products.

Quantity: implies kilograms of the active substances sold.

Regulation (EC) No 1185/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishes a common framework for the systematic production of Community statistics on the placing on the market and agricultural use of those pesticides which are plant protection products as defined in Article 2 (a)(i). The statistics shall apply to the annual amounts of pesticides active substances placed on the market in accordance with Annex I and the quantity of active substances shall be aggregated according to the list in Annex III (as amended).

Enterprise placing plant protection products on the market; authorisation holder or holder of parallel trade permits.

Including the Ministery of Agriculture or agricultural branche organisations for emergency authorizations.

All enterprises placing plant protection products on the market; authorisation holders and holders of parallel trade permits.

For basic substances and pheromones for plague monitoring purposes there are no authorisations and therefore they are not included.

See sub-concepts below.

The entire territory of the country.

 Aruba - Curaçao - Sint Maarten - Bonaire - Sint Eustatius - Saba are not included.

2011 onwards

Not applicable for pesticide sales statistics, because it is not based on an index number of time series.

For national publication SN (Statistics Netherlands) uses an index from 2011.

See sub-concepts below.

Not applicable

It is a combination of administrative data and a survey. 

The data of NVWA (Nederlandse Voedsel- en Warenautoriteit, Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority) come from the authorization holders; mainly importers: those responsible for placing on the Dutch market. 

In addition data from authorization holders not organised within Nefyto are obtained from NVWA. Herefore NVWA does an additional survey among 60 authorization holders, which is actually done by RVO (Netherlands Enterprise Agency). NVWA is aware of the risk of double counting and corrects if necessary.

Administrative data from Nefyto members (of which most are organized in Fytostat) are obtained from NVWA. Most of the authorization holders are organized within Nefyto, the trade association of the Dutch agrochemical industry. The 13 members of Nefyto contain 20 companies that market crop protection products in the Netherlands. At a European level, Nefyto is affiliated with the European Crop Protection Association, ECPA. At a world-wide level, the interests of the agrochemical industry are promoted by Crop life International, CLI.

Data source: nefyto.nl/

Annually.

In principle it could be possible to distinguish between NVWA sales from Nefyto administration (Fytostat) and additional sales from RVO survey. This has not been done when it comes to publication, but these data are available at Statistics Netherlands for quality control.

The questionaire of the additional RVO survey is not available for the public.

Data of 2019 sales were send to Eurostat in the end of January 2020. SN had to wait until sixth of January before the data of 2019 became available. So litle time was left for validation. All data received from NVWA have been placed on substance code. A comparison is made with the years before.

Every year sales data are discussed with NVWA and compared with the data of the years before. This year it has been agreed on that the code for mineral oil should not be used anymore. Therefor starting iwith 2019 and going backwards to 2011 mineral oil has been changed to paraffine oil which is also the case in authorisations.

In 2019 was the first year that NVWA reported a negative value (for fipronil). SN has corrected this with sales 2018. The best way to do this will be discussed further in 2021.

Sales data for compounds with an authorisation but with zero kg sales are reported back to NVWA. A lot of them are biological plant protection products (ppps) and in 2021 a pilot will start to calculate the sales using massapercentages which the Authorisation Board has published as second Content / Unit (technical) in the Authorised Products Database.

In February 2021 Ministry of Agriculture started to build a datawarehouse to calculate the Harmonized Risk Indicator. This of course will contribute to quality. 

See also section 4.1 quality assurance.

Computation of the aggregates (major groups, categories of prodcuts and chemical classes) has been done by using the codes of compounds while controling the active substance involved do allways count up to the same total amount of kg in the reported year. Here a SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) program has been applied for the codes. And data are gathered (over the years) in an Excel.

It is assumed that all data received from NVWA are kilograms.

Not applicable for pesticide sales statistics, because the data collection is not based on time series.

Data of 2019 are published by SN and by NVWA. With NVWA it has been arranged that the totals of sales which NVWA publishes and which SN publishes are the same.

In case of doubt whether the substance is a substance for plant protection (so not a biocide or an adjuvant) the quality of the data have been controled by checking the authorization website of the Dutch Board for the Authorisation of Plant Protection Products and Biocides (Ctgb). https://toelatingen.ctgb.nl/. In English language available.

As mentioned before in section 3.4, sales data for compounds with an authorization according to Ctgb, but with zero kg sales, are reported back to NVWA. In most cases this concerns microbial compounds.

The guidelines of Eurostat for the Quality report is applied. Selff-assessments have been done.

All data will be checked for completeness and consistency with statistical concepts and definitions.

The quality of the sales data is routinely reviewed using a framework that is based on the European Statistical System (ESS) definition of quality.

Data of biocides or adjuvants are deleted if detected so only data of crop protection are provided. In 2019 this was no problem.

Data of sales of plant protection products are relevant for policy evaluation. Also parlement asks for them.

The sales data published so far respond the needs of users interested in knowing the (total) sales of plant protection products in NL at the higher aggregated level, which is the six levels of major group (Annex III of Regulation (EC) no 1185/2009 concerning statistics on pesticides). In several cases sales of the three smallest groups (Molluscicides, Plant Growth Regulators and Other pesticides) are taken together to have less complex graphics. Most users are interested in total sales. In other cases they are only interested in sales of Fungicides, or Herbicides or Insecticides. It is an advantage that sales is yearly updated.

Users like environmental organizations want to relate sales to Utilised Agricultural Area and argue that sales in NL is high in relation to this area. They argue that all pesticides are poisons and should be saled and used less. They expect that all sales are used somewhere in NL.

Users like agricultural organizations argue that kg of active ingredient is a very rough measure with respect to environmental risk. They ask SN to publish additional information which give a better indication of risks from pesticides.

In 2019 going backwards to 2010 the product group has been added. It takes some time for the users to be aware that sales at the level of productgroup (category of products) are available. And what it means. But it can be expected that for several users it is interesting to know whether for example INSECTICIDES BASED ON CHLORINATED HYDROCARBONS are sold or not. And how many of FUNGICIDES BASED ON CARBAMATES AND DITHIOCARBAMATES is sold? And how many of ORGANOPHOSPHORUS HERBICIDES is sold? But when they know this it can be expected that they want to know which chemical classes and which active subtances are involved and the productgoups differ a lot in the number of chemical classes and substances that are included.

It appears that scientists are interested in the level of product group (category of products) because it gives them more information than the level of major group only. It the same way it can be expected that scientist welcome the publication of the sales at the chemical class. 

Also questions from scientists or government officials from other countries have been received because they are especially interested in the Dutch case.

Also students and other people in society ask information of pesticides sales.

It is not clear if users are waiting for the publication of the sales by chemical groups or if they are mainly interested in the level of active substance. Because the information of the chemical groups is rather complex to communicate SN waits with publishing these information.

Sales at the level of active substances will not be published by the Statistical Office Eurostat according to Regulation (EC) no 1185/2009 concerning statistics on pesticides and in most cases SN refers to NVWA for this information. Otherwise these data at compound level are easier to communicate for some substances than a chemical class. To give one example. Everybody talks about neonics but it is not easy to compose this group from the chemical classes. 

Two decennia the sales data are used in NL to evaluate the governmental policy. First (next century) a volume policy was targeted and evaluated. But the last years the policy evaluation is adjusted to eliminination of the unwanted effects of pesticides. in general terms user needs are enhaunced when sales data are publisehd at a lower level.

The statistical information is most needed for those users of pesticide information who do not have the information themselves. So no questions from authorization holders are received.

Data of sales are used for evalution of govermental policy during two decades.

Environmental organisations and byestanders want more public information. This has been before the court. Now these sales data are public.

Until 2019 the data of sales with respect to active substance have been confidential. From 2019 data going backwards to 2010 are published by substance by NVWA. This has been done because environmental organisations forced the government to publish them This enhaunces users need but authorization holders would have kept for example the sales data for compounds new on the market confidential and want to wait with publishing them. In 2019 SN has removed the confidendiallity flags in sales 2011-2017 in the Eurostat database. This means that at the national level sales of all individual substances can be published because those data are no longer confidential.

Now that sales on the level of product group (category of products) are published it will take some time to know if this satisfies user needs. It is not clear whether users are waiting for data at the level of chemical class.

Views and opinions of the users are not regularely collected.

The data collection covers all active substances of plant protection products placed on the national market and the information of all authorisation holders. There are no indications that data are missing.

100%

See sub-concepts below.

Could be some undercoverage in bio ppps in 2019.

With repect to paraffine oil there could be some over coverage, It is also an adjuvans.

Not applicable for pesticide sales statistics, because the data collection is not based on samples, but covers the whole statistical population of authorisation holders and plant protection products placed on the national market.

Not applicable for pesticide sales statistics, because the data collection is not based on samples, but covers the whole statistical population of authorisation holders and plant protection products placed on the national market.

Coverage of bio ppps is low for several bio ppps in 2019 because it was lacking in the additional RVO survey.

See sub-concepts below.

There are no indications that double counting is involved. NVWA is paying attention to this issue.

Administrative data and survey involved.

If they have occured common units in the survey data have been detected by NVWA and have been deleted form the data.

No indications that measurement errors occur.

No indications that non respons errors occur.

Not available.

Not available.

Sometimes it was not easy to go from substance name to substance common name. The cas numbers provided by Eurostat help. Also cipac numbers help. To give an example. Is it perlargonic acid or nonanoic acid?

No imputation.

Not applicable for pesticide sales statistics, because the data collection is not based on estimations.

Not applicable for pesticide sales statistics, because the reported data on plant protection products covers the whole year.

There is an agreement between Statistics Netherlands and NVWA about data delivery. Sales data from NVWA become normally for SN available during the year after the reported year.

Sales from substances which are obvious biocides (rodenticides) are not published by NVWA, not delevered at SN so not send to EU, because this statistic is about pesticides which are plant protection products. In general adjuvants should also not be included.

The harmonized classification of substances (annex III) is fully implemented by SN. This means that if annex III of Regulation (EC) no 1185/2009 concerning statistics on pesticides has been changed data have been revised over 2011-2018. Untill 2020 only small changes with respect to substances new on the market can be expected so we foresee no revisions.

If negative values of sales are received. They will be corrected in preceding years. 

We foresee no preliminary data, so no revisons of them.

Is done for Annex III appliance. So all kg sold do have a annex III code.

And if negative values of sales are received. Then data are corrected with the preceding year. 

Not available.

According to the Regulation (EC) No 1185/2009, the data is published by Eurostat 15 months after the end of the reference year and the national quality report 20 months after the end of the reference year.

Not applicable for pesticide sales statistics as the data and national quality reports are only published once in a final result.

15 months after the end of the reference period for the data;

20 months after the end of the reference period for the national quality report.

According to the Regulation (EC) No 1185/2009, data must be transmitted until 30 December of the year t+1, and national quality reports until 31 March of the year t+2.

Now that the data on the level of active substance have become public, data of sales in 2019 might be received in January 2021 which is to late according to the execution of Regulation (EC) no 1185/2009 concerning statistics on pesticides. SN tries to get the data in December. 

30 days for data transmission.

Data came to late from datasource NVWA.

In 2021 the Ministry of Agriculture is building a datawarehouse to calculate HRI from sales. This may accelarate data deliverance. 

Data are collected on a country level (NUTS 0). They are not comparable on a regional level. The geographical comparability between countries is evaluated by Eurostat.

Not applicable, because there are no mirror flows in pesticide sales statistics.

In NL there is an experience of 1990-2010. But with the Regulation (EC) no 1185/2009 there is a new start with the newly developed Annex III of Regulation (EC) no 1185/2009 concerning statistics on pesticides. This means that statistics of old substances which went between 1990-2011 from the market are not inot available. This is a disadvantage if users are interested in longterm effects of pesticides on health or the environment.

Data from 2011-2019 are comparable and all substances are listed according to the latest revision of Annex III.

9

SN sales data of 2016 have been compared with SN use data in agriculture of 2016.

SN sales data of 2018 have been compared with SN use data by governmental organizations of 2018.

So no additional information on 2019 sales.

Not applicable for pesticide sales statistics, because the data collection is annual.

NVWA and certainly Nefyto do have sub annual data but this information is not shared with organizations like SN.

Not applicable, because it is not related to national accounts.

Not known.

A news release for 2015 sales data in Dutch can be found on the SN website in the article Less sales of plant protection products in 2015 (https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/nieuws/2017/14/minder-middelen-voor-gewasbescherming-verkocht).

A news release for 2018 sales data in Dutch can be found on the SN website in the article Less sales of plant protection products in 2018 (https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/nieuws/2020/13/verkoop-gewasbeschermingsmiddelen-afgenomen-in-2018) .

A news release for 2019 sales data in Dutch can be found on the SN website in the article A little less sales of plant protection products in 2019  (https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/nieuws/2021/13/iets-minder-gewasbeschermingsmiddelen-verkocht-in-2019)

Since 2019 data at the level of active substance are no longer confidential. These data have been published by NVWA goinig backwards to 2010.

Data source: Sales by active substance in Netherlands (https://www.nvwa.nl/onderwerpen/gewasbescherming/afzet-gewasbeschermingsmiddelen-in-nederland)

For sales data of plant protection products; major group; categories of products: 2010-2019 (https://opendata.cbs.nl/statline/#/CBS/nl/dataset/83566NED/table?dl=2CA20) statline or open data is the online database with Dutch metadata.

From 2019 these figures are also available with English metadata sales data of plant protection products; major group; categories of products: 2010-2019 (https://opendata.cbs.nl/statline/#/CBS/en/dataset/83566ENG/table?dl=3FE7D)

Not know.

In 2020 data of sales from 2010-2019 have become avaliable to the public. But microdata at the level of authorisations or authorisation holder of sales are not accessable (e.g. for researchers).

There is also an indicator on sales data in our Compendium of the living environment. This is in Dutch.

Compendium voor de Leefomgeving (CLO) indicator https://www.clo.nl/indicatoren/nl0015-afzet-gewasbeschermingsmiddelen-in-de-land--en-tuinbouw .

No EU methodology available. In 2007 NVWA has publised a document (only hard copy available at SN) in which the Dutch approach is described.

At March 2017 we have published a methodology document (https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/onze-diensten/methoden/onderzoeksomschrijvingen/korte-onderzoeksbeschrijvingen/afzet-bestrijdingsmiddelen) on the Statistics Netherlands website. It is up to date. (No English translation available yet)

All data are checked for completeness and consistency with statistical concepts and definitions.

Not requested.

Not requested.

Administrative data sources are used to minimize the burden on respondents. An additional survey is done. The work at SN should be done without additional budget. Only extra budget for development of some software components in 2011 and 2012 has been observed. It has been experienced that it takes more time than assumed to transfer data and metadata. Also the internal coherence of the database has given additional work because in the second phase of the Regulation (EC) no 1185/2009 concerning statistics on pesticides the harmonized classification (Annex III) has been changed substantially and every year new substances become on the market.

The Ministery of Agriculture is building a datawarehouse. So more electronic means will be usedi n 2021. But because of this quality report additional information may be requested. 

Data of sales by active substance are already public in NL because they are published by NVWA. Data of aggregates are published if they are published by SN. Until now data at the level of the major group and the category of products are published. The publication of the chemical group will be the latest to publish. We can start with examples of a chemical groups in newsletters.

Data are not published by economic entity. 

Data of aggregates are published if they are published by SN. Data of sales by chemical groups are not yet available to the public. To give one example, who knows that PYRIDYLMETHYLAMINE INSECTICIDES may consists of ACETAMIPRID, IMIDACLOPRID, THIACLOPRID, FLUPYRADIFURONE while everybody talks about neonics? But then als the group of NITROGUANIDINE INSECTICIDES, CLOTHIANIDIN, THIAMETHOXAM is involved.

Data are not published by economic entity. Only in the case of one economic entity per active substance. 

No comment.