Record-keeping for plant protection products
Do you use plant protection products professionally? Remember to keep a record of all the plant protection products you use.
Provide information about:
- the name and registration number of the plant protection product
- time of use
- the dose used
- size of the area treated
- the crop treated and its EPPO code
- information about the location of the area treated, such as its address, coordinates, greenhouse number, field parcel identifier or forest compartment information
- information about whether the treatment concerned 1) land areas, 2) enclosed spaces or plants in enclosed spaces, 3) seeds and propagating material.
Also record the following details if the use of the product is subject to restrictions concerning the time of day or growth stage:
- time of spraying
- the BBCH growth stage or growth stage range of the crops.
The records must be stored for at least 3 years.
EPPO codes for crops
In the records on the use of plant protection products, report the name of the plant or area treated with the plant protection product and its identifier in accordance with the EPPO codes.
For record-keeping purposes, it is enough to enter the EPPO code of the plant category indicated in the list below. Using the codes for individual plants or species is optional. Under each plant category, there is a list of examples of plants that can be marked using the same EPPO code.
Below is a list of key EPPO codes used in Finland.
Fruit crops (3FRUC)
- apple, wild apple, pear, quince, prune, grapevine, cucumis, watermelon, melon, cherry, sour cherry, bullace, peach, apricot, Aztec berry, fig, baby kiwi
Beets (1BEAG)
- sugar beet (planted), red beet, beetroot, yellow beetroot, fodder beet
Brassica (1BRSG)
- swede, turnip, Chinese mustard, head cabbage, white cabbage, red cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Savoy cabbage, Brussels sprouts, curly kale, Chinese cabbage, cow cabbage, turnip cabbage
Bare fallow (3BARFO)
Leafy vegetable crops (excluding brassica) (3LEAC)
- spinach beet, leaf beet, spinach, New Zealand spinach, Chinese chard
Berry bearing plants (NNNOB)
- strawberry, wild strawberry, rubus berry crops, ribes berry crops, cranberry, high-bush blueberry, sea buckthorn, chokeberry, Pacific serviceberry, blue honeysuckle, goji berry, common mulberry, rosehip, black elder
Grassland (3GRLC)
- Trifolium, cereals as protective plants, permanent grassland (grasses only), permanent grassland, pasture, red fescue, meadow fescue, hard fescue, reed fescue, timothy, cocksfoot, perennial ryegrass, Italian ryegrass, annual ryegrass, meadowgrass, reedgrass, Hungarian brome, common vetch, downy vetch, lucerne, sand lucerne, oriental goat's rue
Legume crops (3LEGC)
- beans, field pea, grey pea, faba bean, blue lupin, lentil, chickpea, soybean
Field borders (YFRVA)
Potato (SOLTU)
Brassica arable crops (3BRAC)
- turnip rape, spring turnip rape, winter turnip rape, rape, spring rape, winter rape, gold-of-pleasure
Lettuce crops (3LETC)
- Lactuca genus, leaf lettuce, wood dock, head lettuce, salad rocket, common purslane, lamb's lettuce, endive, broad-leaved endive, winter endive, tatsoi, Japanese mustard, witloof
Onions (1ALLG)
- onion, garden onion, garlic, shallot, potato onion, chives, leek, onion (direct-seeded), Welsh onion
Vegetable crops (3VEGC)
- sea kale, okra, watercress, sweet potato, carrot, Jerusalem artichoke, prickly artichoke, globe artichoke, celery, turnip-rooted celery, black salsify, salsify, horseradish, root parsley, garden radish, Japanese radish, daikon, radish, parsnip, large-rooted chicory, chicory, sweet fennel, asparagus, gourds, marrows, pumpkins, summer squash, giant pumpkin, musky gourd, tomato, eggplant, pepper, rhubarb, chili, pepino
Cereal crops (3CERC)
- barley, spring barley, winter barley, wheat, spring wheat, winter wheat, spelt, triticale, spring triticale, winter triticale, rye, spring rye, winter rye, oat, spring oat, winter oat
Arable crops (3ARAC)
- sunflower, poppy, flax, hemp, buckwheat, quinoa, phacelia species, white mustard, marigolds, tillage radish, oil radish, maize, corn, fodder maize, sweet corn, champignon, broomcorn millet, woad
Herbs, spices and medicinal crops (3HSMC)
- hop, lovage, parsley, dill, common marjoram, marjoram, mints, stevia, garden rosemary, garden thyme, wild chamomile, common St John's-wort, coriander, lemon balm, dragon, garden cress, common sage, bay, leaf celery, caraway, common angelica, sweet chervil, herbs in Apiaceae-family, hyssop, giant hyssop, anise, garden chervil, southernwood, basil, borage, black mustard
Edible flowers (NNNEF)
Christmas tree plantation (NNNWN)
Coniferous forest trees (3FOCC)
- Norway spruce, Scots pine, common juniper, larch
Broadleaf forest trees (3FOBC)
- downy birch, black alder, grey alder, aspen, rowan
Treatment of stumps (3STUMO)
Ornamental plants (terrestrial) (3ORTC)
Grassland not used in agriculture (YNIGF)
Lawns in parks, sportfields, golf courses, recreation areas (3AMGC)
Terraces and ways (YTEWE)
Railroad embankment, railway yard (3RAILO)
Street borders (treatment of) (3STREO)
Treated objects (3NCRK
- stored foodstuff, structures and equipment in gardens, substrate, empty spaces (treatment of), container, soil and substrate
Non-cultivated land (treatment of) (3PNOCO)
Crops/uses not listed above (3UNCLK)
The EPPO codes are 5-6 letter codes used for the consistent identification of plants, pathogens and areas of use. To view the EPPO codes for different plants, areas of use and pathogens, see the EPPO database.
BBCH growth stages
The timing of the use of plant protection products is defined according to the BBCH growth stage classification. On the BBCH scale, the first number indicates the principal growth stage and the second number specifies the growth within the principal stage. Below is a list of the principal growth stages of crop groups under the BBCH classification. Use the principal stages in your records:
0 (00-09)
Germination, Sprouting, bud development
1 (10-19)
Beginning of growth, leaf development
2 (20-29)
Formation of side shoots, tillering
3 (30-39)
Stem elongation, main shoot development, rosette growth
4 (40-49)
Development of harvestable vegetative plant parts/vegetative propagated organs, booting
5 (50-59)
Inflorescence emergence, heading
6 (60-69)
Flowering
7 (70-79)
Development of fruit
8 (80-89)
Ripening or maturity of fruit and seed
9 (90-99)
Senescence, beginning of dormacy
Electronic record-keeping
From 2027 onwards, the records for plant protection products must be kept electronically. We will publish the guidelines for electronic record-keeping in late 2026.
Record-keeping for biocides on farms
If you use biocides on a farm, you must keep a record of them.
Biocides used on farms include disinfectants and pest control products. Read more about biocidal products.
If you work on a farm producing food or feed, record the following details on biocides used in production facilities:
- name of biocide
- amount used
- time of use.
The same record-keeping requirement applies to disinfectants used for:
- treating feeding bowls
- treating transport, transfer or weighing equipment.
Keep the purchase receipt.
The records must be stored for at least 1 year.
Records on trade in plant protection products
If you produce, supply, distribute, import or export plant protection products, you must keep records of the plant protection products that you:
- produce
- import
- export
- store
- place on the market.
The records must be stored for at least 5 years.