Pesticide sales in the EU rose by 8% in 2024 to about 316,000 tonnes after falling for two consecutive years.
Sales were still lower than in 2011, when nearly 351,000 tonnes were sold — a 12% decrease over the period, Eurostat informed on Wednesday.
The biggest share of pesticides sold in 2024 was in the category “fungicides and bactericides”, which made up 40% of sales, according to the figures. “Herbicides, haulm destructors and moss killers” accounted for 35%, while “insecticides and acaricides” made up 17%.
France, Spain, Germany and Italy accounted for the largest shares of pesticide sales volumes in 2024.
France represented 22% of the EU total, followed by Spain on 19%, Germany on 14% and Italy on 13%.
Big differences between countries
Sales trends varied widely across the bloc between 2011 and 2024, with data available for 21 countries for both years, Eurostat said.
Sales fell in 14 of those 21 countries, with the largest drops recorded in Czechia (down 44%), Italy (down 43%), Ireland (down 42%) and Portugal (down 40%).
Sales increased in seven countries over the same period, with the biggest rises in Latvia (up 68%), Austria (up 52%) and Lithuania (up 35%).
