The VBS pilot project concluded at the end of 2015 – the material on the VBS web pages is not updated and is made available as a record of the project.
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This page is an english translation of the project support web pages in participating countries. National stakeholder contacts are available on relevant national pages.
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VBS brochure
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Message on a bottle
The following removable sticker will be found on most of the products destined for use on field/orchard crops near water bodies in participating countries:
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Protect your plant protection solutions! Help to keep a broad range of PPPs available in the future.
Protect Water Bodies
By establishing vegetative buffer strips
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The European Crop Protection Association welcomes you to this web-site which supports the web-link on the stickers we have attached to our products, and the promotional flyers which you may also have seen. We hope you will find a lot of useful information here about how to reduce water and soil run-off and the benefits this brings to both farmers and the environment.
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Vegetative buffer strips - what are they ?
Buffer strips are vegetated areas. Types of buffers include contour buffer strips, filter strips, riparian forest buffers, field borders, windbreaks/shelterbelts, hedgerows, grassed waterways, and inter row cropping. They generally have a linear shape and are typically implemented along water bodies and at the edge of fields. |
How to establish and maintain efficient vegetative buffer strips to reduce runoff/erosion by water infiltration and sediment deposition?
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Note: The general water protection recommendations contained in these web-pages do not replace any legal requirements, and any applicable laws providing for stricter requirements prevail over these recommendations.
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Soil is valuable, keep it in your field!
How to select the width of the vegetative buffer strips?
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The recommended minimum width of the vegetative buffer strips should be at least 5 meters alongside natural water bodies and at least 2 meters alongside small artificial ditches (even those which may be dry for some periods of the year).
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Run off and erosion - what are they? Surface run off is the water flow that occurs when the soil is infiltrated to full capacity or becomes impermeable due to capping or compaction and excess water from rain, meltwater, or other sources flows over the land. Erosion occurs when soil is carried away by this water flow.
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These are general minimum recommendations which can be adjusted depending on local run off risk factors.
- The general recommendations for at least 5m VBS along natural water bodies and at least 2m along small artificial ditches have been arrived at as a result of studies demonstrating the generally effective minimum widths required to significantly reduce run off.
- Local run off risk factors related to e.g. slope, soil characteritics and weather patterns can vary significantly both in terms of increasing and decreasing risk of run off.
- Local factors such as field sizes, and also the extent, frequency and layout of natural water bodies and drainage ditches in the landscape can vary significantly.
- In view of the scope for local differences, the ideal approach for determining VBS widths and positioning is to carry out a local level risk diagnosis together with a qualified farm advisor. The TOPPS project provides relevant diagnosis tools and a toolbox of Best Management Practices from which measures which are appropriate to the local situation can be selected. Other suitable tools or schemes may also be available nationally or locally.
- For resource reasons it will not be practical to carry out local diagnoses in every field, or it may take some time to do so. The ECPA recommendations for 5m VBS along natural water bodies and at least 2m along small artificial ditches therefore represent general measures which can be implemented to significantly reduce water contamination through run off.
- Local or national laws on VBS sizing or placement mut always be respected.
- The general recommendations for at least 5m VBS along natural water bodies and at least 2m along small artificial ditches have been arrived at as a result of studies demonstrating the generally effective minimum widths required to significantly reduce run off.
- Local run off risk factors related to e.g. slope, soil characteritics and weather patterns can vary significantly both in terms of increasing and decreasing risk of run off.
- Local factors such as field sizes, and also the extent, frequency and layout of natural water bodies and drainage ditches in the landscape can vary significantly.
- In view of the scope for local differences, the ideal approach for determining VBS widths and positioning is to carry out a local level risk diagnosis together with a qualified farm advisor. The TOPPS project provides relevant diagnosis tools and a toolbox of Best Management Practices from which measures which are appropriate to the local situation can be selected. Other suitable tools or schemes may also be available nationally or locally.
- For resource reasons it will not be practical to carry out local diagnoses in every field, or it may take some time to do so. The ECPA recommendations for 5m VBS along natural water bodies and at least 2m along small artificial ditches therefore represent general measures which can be implemented to significantly reduce water contamination through run off.
- Local or national laws on VBS sizing or placement mut always be respected.
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Natural water bodies: minimum width of 5 m
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Artificial water bodies: minimum width of 2 m
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The RVBS project is intended as a co-ordinated and harmonised EU-wide initiative to be implemented over time in the EU in a step-wise approach by ECPA member companies and associations to promote the use of Vegetative Buffer Strips (VBSs) along water courses to help control run-off and thereby reduce water contamination by pesticides (PPPs). The project is explicitly intended as a pro-active one, and is not mandated by EU or national laws.
Protect our water resources!
How to keep our water clean?
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Runoff/erosion are one of the main entry pathways of plant protection products (PPPs) into water, accounting for about 35% of their overall losses to surface water. Often runoff/erosion on agricultural fields cannot be avoided completely, but it can be significantly reduced by implementing TOPPS Best Management Practices (BMPs).
Keeping water clean and minimising soil erosion are important environmental protection measures, which support the sustainable productivity of your farm. The TOPPS website provides a toolbox of potential BMPs covering the following areas: soil management, crop rotation, vegetative buffer strips, retention structures, adapted PPP use, and irrigation. One of the easiest, quickest and most effective measures to reduce water pollution due to runo! is to establish vegetative buffer strips alongside all water bodies and ditches in a catchment.
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With your help, we can have cleaner surface water
Vegetative buffer strips along water bodies and ditches:
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- Reduce runoff losses of PPPs to surface water by by on average 50-70%
- Reduce soil losses and water eutrophication via erosion - Provide habitats to increase biodiversity - Increase ecosystem connectivity in agricultural landscapes |
Although it may not always be a legal requirement, it is highly recommended to establish vegetative buffer strips. These help fulfil the environmental objectives under the Water Framework Directive, the Directive on the Sustainable Use of Pesticides and related National Action Plans, the Habitats Directive, and the Common Agricultural Policy.
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Where to find more information?
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Further information on this vegetative buffer strip Vegetative buffer strips initiative and background information on how run-off is generated and minimized can be found on: www.topps-life.org
Implementing vegetative buffer strips is just one of the Best Management Practices developed and promoted by the TOPPS - Prowadis Project. |
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The TOPPS-project is a multistakerholder cooperation project which started in 2005 with ECPA & EU LIFE programme funding for the first three years. It remains operational and continues to develop new approaches with ECPA and partner organization support. It is active in many EU countries and involves local experts and partner organisations. The project aims to reduce losses of pesticides to water and has established a broad set to tools:
- Recommended Best Management Practices (BMPs) to avoid point sources and to minimise diffuse pollution
sources in agriculture
- Risk diagnosis tools for runoff and spray drift
The BMPs and tools are promoted through information material, advice, training and demonstration, targeting farmers, advisers and other relevant stakeholders. You can find more information on the TOPPS web page: www.topps-life.org/toppslife
- Recommended Best Management Practices (BMPs) to avoid point sources and to minimise diffuse pollution
sources in agriculture
- Risk diagnosis tools for runoff and spray drift
The BMPs and tools are promoted through information material, advice, training and demonstration, targeting farmers, advisers and other relevant stakeholders. You can find more information on the TOPPS web page: www.topps-life.org/toppslife
