The draft regulation is an act implementing the Plant Protection Act (State Gazette (SG) No 61/2014). The draft was drawn up on the basis of Article 9(4) of the Plant Protection Act Protection (SG No 61/2014) and in connection with the introduction of the basic and specific principles of pest management, in order to protect human and animal health and the environment.

Regulation on the growing of plants and the production of crops using integrated pest management

The draft is aimed at the integrated production of plants and crops, set out in Annex 1, under which the general and specific principles of integrated pest management shall apply.

The general principles for integrated pest management are set out in Annex 1 to Article 9(3) of the Plant Protection Act, and the specific principles of integrated pest management have been developed and endorsed in the integrated pest management guides by botanical groups. The integrated pest management guides include agrobiological requirements, agri-environmental conditions, agri-technical events, identification of pests that are harmful to the economy for the relevant botanical group, identification of key bio-agents for the relevant pests, used biotechnical means and agrochemicals: authorised plant protection products without the first professional category of use.

A requirement is introduced according to which the integrated production shall be carried out for an uninterrupted period of 5 years and the farmer shall not undertake any other types of farming during said period on the areas used for integrated production.