The total amount of active substances in pesticides placed on the market in 2024 fell by 6% to 2,139 tonnes, the lowest of the period from 2011 to 2024.
Active substances in herbicides comprised 78% of total active substances in pesticide sales in 2024.
Active substances in fungicides were 15% of total active substances in pesticide sales in 2024, while active substances in plant growth regulators accounted for 5% of the total.
Harmonised Risk Indicator 1 (HRI1) shows the trend in potential risk from pesticides to human health and the environment. In 2023, the HRI1 index fell by seven percentage points to 35, the lowest level recorded between 2011, when the series began, and 2023.
The term pesticides refers to plant protection products, which protect crops or other plants from weeds, diseases and insects that can damage them. Active substances are the substances in pesticides that act on plant pests, weeds or diseases in order to control them.
Figure 1 and Table 1 show that the amount of active substances in pesticides sold in Ireland fell in 2022 (-12%), 2023 (-16%) and 2024 (-6%). Herbicides were the dominant type of product in terms of amounts of active substances each year from 2011 to 2024, with fungicides the second most common type of product. In 2024, herbicides made up 78% of total active substances in pesticide sales and fungicides accounted for 15% of the total.
Amounts of active substances in both herbicides and fungicides were lowest in 2024, when active substances in pesticides sales fell to their lowest overall quantity of the time period from 2011 to 2024.
Figure 2 and Table 2 show Harmonised Risk Indicator 1 (HRI1) from 2011 to 2023, the latest year for which data are available. HRI1 is an index which indicates the trend in risks from pesticide use to human health and the environment.
HRI1 is calculated by categorising the active substances into four groups based on the risk associated with each plant protection product, applying a hazard weighting to each group, and setting as a base (equal to 100) the average value for the period 2011-2013. Active substances can be recategorised into different risk groups under EU Regulation.
HRI1 fell by 7 percentage points in 2023 to a value of 35, the lowest of the period. This equates to a decrease of 65% compared with the base period 2011-2013. In 2023, the amount of active substances in pesticide sales fell by 16%, showing a similar trend to HRI1.
The calculation of HRI1 depends on hazard weightings as well as the amount of active substances. After decreasing in 2016, 2017 and 2018, HRI1 was at its highest of the period in 2019 at 118. This can occur if an active substance is no longer approved under EU Regulation and is thus recategorised to the highest risk group, as the increased hazard weighting is applied retrospectively for the years in which it was available for use. After reaching its highest level in 2019, HRI1 fell each year between 2020 and 2023.
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (28 January 2026) published Pesticide Sales 2024.
Commenting on the release, Clare O'Hara, Statistician in the Environment Division, said: "This release contains data on tonnes of active substances contained in pesticides placed on the market in Ireland from 2011 to 2024. Pesticides, or plant protection products, are used to 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.
Amount of Active Substances
The amount of active substances in pesticides sold in Ireland in 2024 was 2,139 tonnes, a decrease of 6% on 2023 and the lowest of the period from 2011, when the series began, to 2024. The amount of active substances in pesticides sales was highest in 2011 at 3,692 tonnes (See Figure 1 and Table 1).
Active Substances by Type of Product
In 2024, active substances in herbicides made up 78% of total active substances in pesticide sales. Active substances in fungicides were 15% of the total in 2024 while active substances in plant growth regulators were 5% of the total.
Active substances in molluscicides (for control of pests such as snails and slugs) comprised less than 1% of total active substances in pesticide sales in each year from 2011 to 2024. Active substances in insecticides made up less than 1% of the total during the period from 2019 to 2024 (See Figure 1 and Table 1).
Harmonised Risk Indicator 1
The release also contains data on Harmonised Risk Indicator 1 (HRI1) from 2011 to 2023. HRI1 is an index which indicates the trend in risks from pesticide use to human health and the environment. HRI1 fell by seven percentage points in 2023 to a value of 35, the lowest of the period. HRI1 was highest in 2019 at 118 but decreased each year between 2020 and 2023 (See Figure 2 and Table 2).
HRI1 is calculated by categorising the active substances into groups based on the risk associated with each product, applying a hazard weighting to each group, and setting as a base (equal to 100) the average value for the period from 2011 to 2013."