The EU wants to reduce pesticide use by 50 percent and fertilizer applications by 20 percent. These are arbitrary metrics chosen by policymakers. To ensure a level playing field, some lawmakers want to restrict imported food that does not meet or exceed Europe’s production standards. Different crops and different agronomic conditions require different nutrients and crop protection levels. One size does not fit all. Worse, the data available remains very imprecise. Using wheat and nitrogen as an example reveals some of the challenges.  Based on nitrogen application per hectare, Ukrainian and Saudi wheat could not meet the EU’s current application practice, let alone a 20 percent reduction. Note that Saudi grain production h...

TAGS – Feed Grains, Wheat, Europe