Irish authorities failing to fully implement EU directive on pesticides, audit finds

Progress on reducing the use of pesticides on farms is difficult to measure because of a failure by the Irish authorities to fully implement an EU directive, according to EU health and food safety inspectors.

An audit by EU officials found the Department of Agriculture did not meet several requirements of an EU directive on pesticide use through its National Action Plan for the Sustainable Use of Pesticides by failing to set targets for the reduction of risks of pesticide use on human health and the environment.