b'THAT IS AI n June 2022, the European Commission (EC) published their proposal for the regulation on the sustainable use of plant pro-tection products (SUR). SENSITIVEAmongst other changes, the proposal foresees the prohibition of all plant protection products in all sensitive areas and within 3 m of such areas. Soon after the publication of the proposal, stakeholders and AREA! Member States expressed their first reactions about the impact this proposal, if implemented, would be expected to have in agricultural production.The seed sector contributes significantly to sustainable agri-culture and specifically to sustainable use of plant protection prod-IMPACT OF THE SUR PROPOSAL ON ucts in three key ways. A) New and more resistant varieties mean less plant protection products are necessary. B) Seed treatment THE EU SEED SECTOR. allows the sector to target use of plant protection products, reduc-BY: AMALIA KAFKA ing environmental exposure. C) The seed sector provides quality assurance with the well-established European Seed Treatment Scheme (ESTA). Additionally, the seed sector reinforces the implementation of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) through the marketing of treated seeds. IPM considers all available means that discourage the development of populations of harmful organisms, while keeping the use of chemical plant protection products to levels that are eco-nomically and ecologically justified and minimise risks to human health and the environment. The use of treated seeds can be con-sidered well-compatible with the principles of IPM, as very often plants in early growth stages are affected by soil-dwelling pests and diseases which cannot be observed or captured by early diagnosis. Visible symptoms indicate a stage at which no other measure can satisfy crop needs. The use of treated seeds can also be considered a precision farming technique of plant protection products. Being a targeted, onetime application on seed, seed treatment effectively reduces the proportion of soil that comes into direct contact with the active ingredient(s). Additionally, seed treatment limits the potential exposure for operators, bystanders, and non-target species.20ISEED WORLD EUROPEIEUROPEAN-SEED.COM'