Plant protection rules are applied to prevent damage caused by diseases, pests, and weeds. Plant protection practices are not limited to direct input use, and in both organic and conventional farming, they involve the application of various cultural, physical, and biological measures before input use.

In the Turkish Regulation on the Principles and Implementation of Organic Farming, published in Official Gazette No. 27676, the plant protection rules in organic production are explained in Article 11.

a) In the control of diseases, pests, and weeds, the following issues shall be taken into account:

1. Selection of disease- and pest-resistant species and varieties.

2. Preparation of appropriate crop rotation.

3. Application of appropriate soil tillage methods.

4. Application of cultural, biological, and biotechnical control methods.

b) If the above-mentioned measures cannot be applied or remain insufficient against plant diseases, pests, nematodes, and weeds, inputs specified in Annex-2 of the Turkish Organic Farming Regulation shall be used. Within this scope, the operator must keep records of documents proving the necessity of using the product.

Before using the inputs specified in Annex-2, the operator must apply the control methods mentioned in Article 11-a and record these applications on a field basis, specifying the name of the practice, crop name, date, and quantities/numbers. A sample producer activity form can be accessed on our website.

c) For products used in traps and dispensers, except pheromone dispensers, traps and/or dispensers shall prevent the release of these substances into nature and their contact with the cultivated crop. Traps shall be collected and destroyed after use.

Preventing traps from contacting the crop and ensuring their collection and destruction after use is of great importance to avoid detection of unauthorized substances (residues) in products and to preserve organic integrity.

ç) For the approval of plant protection products permitted in organic farming, the provisions of the Veterinary Services, Plant Health, Food and Feed Law No. 5996 of 11/6/2010 and the related legislation based on this Law apply. A certificate is issued for the placing on the market of plant protection products for use in organic farming. In the application of these products, the provisions of Article 5 and Chapter Four of the Regulation on the Recommendation, Application, and Registration Procedures of Plant Protection Products, published in the Official Gazette No. 29194 dated 3/12/2014, shall be taken into account.

Information on the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s plant protection product database can be accessed through practical information available on our website.

Certification of organically labeled plant protection products placed on the market for use in organic farming is issued solely in accordance with the Turkish Organic Farming Regulation and only by a control and certification body authorized by the Ministry in this regard. Certification of plant protection products is not applicable under other organic farming Regulations and Standards. Please note that a product having a Turkish organic certificate does not mean it can be used under other Regulations and Standards. Therefore, informing and obtaining approval from the control body before using a plant protection product certified under the Turkish Organic Farming Regulation will protect the operator from potential non-compliance notifications and ensure the integrity of organic products.

Some control bodies list plant protection inputs that may be used in organic production and make these lists available. Please remember that information and documents related to an input listed therein must also be reviewed by both the operator planning to use the input and the evaluators, at least in terms of the name of the Regulation under which it was approved, approval expiry date, crops for which it was approved, and usage restrictions.

Additionally, the list of inputs compliant with (EU) 2018/848 can be found on the FiBL Research Institute of Organic Agriculture page via https://www.inputs.eu/input-search.html, but as always, please remember that control body approval must be obtained before using any products. At a minimum, the current label approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the crops for which authorization has been granted, the current license, and the material safety data sheet (MSDS) of the products must be reviewed.

Important information on copper, a significant plant protection product in organic crop production, can be found in the informative article “copper use and calculation” available under practical information on our website. The types of copper permitted under Regulations and Standards are defined, and there are differences in the allowed amounts of copper. We strongly recommend reviewing our article.

Regarding organic production and the labeling of organic products, in Regulation (EU) 2018/848 of the European Parliament and Council of 30 May 2018, plant protection rules are explained in Annex II, Part I, 1.10, “Pest and weed management.” According to this:

1.10.1. The prevention of damage caused by pests and weeds shall rely
primarily on the protection by:

• Natural enemies,

• The choice of species, varieties and heterogeneous material,

• Crop rotation,

• cultivation techniques such as biofumigation, mechanical and
  physical methods, and

• thermal processes such as solarisation and, in the case of protected
  crops, shallow steam treatment of the soil (to a maximum depth of
  10 cm) – this point was not included in the previous EU Regulation and is new for (EU) 2018/848.

1.10.2. Where plants cannot adequately be protected from pests by measures
provided for in point 1.10.1 or in the case of an established threat to a
crop, only products and substances authorised pursuant to Articles 9 and 24 of Regulation (EU) 2018/848 for use in organic production shall be used, and only to the extent necessary. Operators shall keep records proving the need for the use of such products, including the date or dates on which each product was used, the name of the product, its active substances, the amount applied, the crop and parcels concerned, and the pest or disease to be controlled..

1.10.3. In relation to products and substances used in traps or in dispensers of
products and substances other than pheromones, the traps or dispensers shall prevent the products and substances from being released into the environment and shall prevent contact between the products and substances and the crops being cultivated. All traps, including pheromone traps, shall be collected after use and shall be safely disposed of.

The products and substances authorized for use in organic production under Articles 9 and 24 of Regulation (EU) 2018/848 are listed in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/1165 on the authorization of certain products and substances for use in organic production and establishing their lists, Annex I. The active substances listed in this Annex may be present in plant protection products used in organic production, provided that they are authorized pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009. These plant protection products shall be used in accordance with the conditions specified in the Annex to Implementing Regulation (EU) 540/2011 and in the authorizations granted by the Member States where they are used. Stricter conditions for use in organic production are specified in the last column of each table in Annex I.

The requirement that the active substance must be authorized pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 means that the input must be licensed. Therefore, it is important to check the license of the input in the aforementioned plant protection product database (PPP database).

Implementing Regulation (EU) 540/2011 contains important information on plant protection inputs, particularly on the products for which they are authorized, the expiry date of authorization, and report numbers containing special restrictions (name of crops, recommended timing and dosage of application, mandatory restrictions, etc.). It is very important that operators planning to use a plant protection product and evaluators review this Implementing Regulation. The mere listing of the active substance of a plant protection input in Annex I is not sufficient. The input must also be licensed for the intended crop and pest/disease and must comply with the special restrictions specified in Regulation (EU) 540/2011.

In the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP), pest, disease, and weed control methods are detailed in § 205.206.

           a-The producer must implement practices to prevent pests, weeds, and                     diseases, including but not limited to:

• Crop rotation and soil and crop nutrient management practices, as provided in §§ 205.203 and 205.205;

• Sanitation measures to remove disease vectors, weed seeds, and habitats for pest organisms; and

Cultural practices that enhance crop health, including selection of plant species and varieties with regard to suitability to site-specific conditions and resistance to prevalent pests, weeds, and diseases.b-

b- Pest problems may be controlled through mechanical or physical methods including but not limited to:

• Augmentation or introduction of predators or parasites of the pest species;
• Development of habitat for natural enemies of pests;
• Nonsynthetic controls such as lures, traps, and repellents.

c- Weed problems may be controlled through:

• Mulching with fully biodegradable materials;

• Mowing;

• Grazing of livestock;

• Hand weeding;

• Flame, heat, or electrical means; or

• Plastic or other synthetic mulches: provided that they are removed from the field at the end of the growing or harvest season.

         d-Disease problems may be controlled through:

• Management practices that suppress the spread of disease organisms; or

• Application of nonsynthetic biological, botanical, or mineral inputs.

e-When the practices provided for in paragraphs (a) through (d) of this section are insufficient to prevent or control crop pests, weeds, and diseases, a biological or botanical substance or a substance included on the National List of synthetic substances allowed for use in organic crop production may be applied to prevent, suppress, or control pests, weeds, or diseases: Provided, That, the conditions for using the substance are documented in the organic system plan.

According to USDA-NOP, numerous guidance documents are available to assess the suitability of commercial inputs planned for use. Therefore, we recommend reviewing the list of NOP guidance documents.

Unlike other Regulations, in USDA-NOP not only the active substances but also the inert ingredients must be evaluated for compliance, and they must be included in EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) Lists 3 and 4.

According to USDA-NOP, the page of the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI), which prepares and lists compliance certificates, can be accessed via https://www.omri.org/omri-lists. Please make sure to inform your control body and obtain approval before using any products.