In the European Union (EU), information on plant protection products (PPP) distributed to end-users is compiled annually. This figure is used as an indicator to indirectly assess trends in PPP usage. For several years, the volume of PPPs distributed in Latvia per hectare of agricultural land has been among the lowest in the EU at 0.84 kg/ha, which is also well below the EU average of 2.05 kg/ha.

Commenting on the Eurostat publication from 22 April, "Volume of pesticides sold in the EU fell by 6% in 2019", which states that the volume of PPPs sold in Latvia has increased by 54% since 2011, the State Plant Protection Service (VAAD) explains that, compared to other EU member states, Latvia has seen a significant increase in agricultural land area (by 8%) and arable land area (by 14%) since 2011. Consequently, the volume of PPPs used has also increased, as using PPPs is the most economical method in terms of costs and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to prepare land overgrown with shrubs or perennial weeds for agricultural activity.