After launching MPS-ABC version 16.2 last year, we are now preparing for a new version: 16.3. A significant change in the new version is the integration of the standard for crop protection agents.

MPS-ABC uses an environmental indicator system to record crop protection agents. In the MPS environmental indicator system, active substances are categorised as ‘white’, ‘green’, ‘amber’ and ‘red’.

We notice that more and more agents with green active substances are coming onto the market and more and more products with amber and red active substances are being banned. We found that the MPS-ABC qualification score on the use of crop protection agents doesn’t sufficiently take this into account. At the moment, the use of a lot of green substances and few amber and red substances can have a negative impact on the score. Integrating the standard, and giving the usage per colour a weighted value based on its impact, will give a fairer distribution of the score in the MPS-ABC qualification.

As a participant of MPS-ABC, you don’t have to make any changes to your business operations or how you record data to accommodate this change in the standard. Only the result of your record-keeping will change and look different. Also, you will be notified by both MPS and MPS-ECAS before the new standard with the new crop protection standard is implemented. At that time, you will of course receive a more detailed explanation of the new crop protection standard.