The Confederation’s new action plan aimed at risk reduction and the sustainable use of plant protection products (PPPs) is intended to halve the environmental risk by 2027. In order for this objective to be achieved in Swiss soils, a strategy for monitoring PPP residues in these environments must first be developed. Two workshops were organised to discuss the current state of knowledge regarding monitoring, ecotoxicological thresholds for soil and bioindication, and to explore ways of determining PPP residues and their effects.

In the first phase of the project, a strategy for determining ecotoxicological thresholds for soil will be finalised and applied to ten prioritised pollutants. In addition, specific protection targets will be set and a toolkit comprising potential bioindicators will be developed. The project forms part of the FOEN’s research master plan.

The selected bioindicators will then be tested in pilot studies. Finally, a strategy will be developed for the assessment of pollutant mixtures, and the final strategy for soil risk assessment will be reviewed.