According to data published today (Tuesday, April 5) by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), herbicides were the main type of plant-protection product sold in Ireland in 2020.

This finding is part of a wider body of research by the CSO on tonnes of active substances contained in plant-protection products placed on the market in Ireland from 2012 to 2020.

The research also found that, in 2018, the amount of active substance in plant-protection product sales was at its lowest of the period 2012-2020 at 2,651 tonnes.

It rose again by 12% in 2019 before falling by 2% in 2020 to 2,910 tonnes.

Other main findings:

Clare O'Hara, statistician in the environment and climate division of the CSO, explained: "This new CSO release contains data on tonnes of active substances contained in plant-protection products placed on the market in Ireland from 2012 to 2020."

Plant protection products are pesticides that protect crops or other plants. They are primarily used in the agricultural sector to aid in the production of arable crops, fodder crops, grassland, vegetables and fruit, but are also used in forestry, amenity areas and private gardens.

"Herbicides were the predominant type of plant-protection product sold in Ireland in each year from 2012 to 2020," she said.

"In 2020, active substances in herbicides made up 78% of total active substances in plant protection products," she said.

She added that fungicides and plant-growth regulators were the next most prevalent types of plant-protection product sold in each year from 2012 to 2020.

Active substances in fungicides were 15% of the total in 2020 while active substances in plant-growth regulators were 5% of the total.

"Active substances in molluscicides comprised less than 1% of total active substances in plant-protection product sales in each year from 2012 to 2020, while active substances in insecticides made up just under 2% of the total in 2017 and were less than 1% of the total in 2019 and 2020."