On 14 February 2023, the SPRINT project team shared some initial project findings with key stakeholder in Europe for the first time. The researcher team assessed pesticide mixtures distribution in ecosystem, plant, animal and humans, in 11 Common Support Structures (CSS) covering conventional/integrated and organic farming systems. In total, 803 ecosystem, 204 plant, 811 animal and 2763 human samples were collected in 2021 during the crops growing season. Over 200 pesticide residues were measured in each of these samples.

Participants had the opportunity to hear about the pesticide residues found in agricultural ecosystems, animals, and humans across the EU. They discussed the findings considering application records and hazard characteristics of the residues. Furthermore, the SPRINT team presented some initial results on farm-level environmental impacts, and challenges and opportunities associated with the transition towards sustainable plant protection in the EU.

Further information on the project and the results are available on the project article.