Willingness to pay for pesticides’ reduction in European union: nothing but organic?

Summary Using experimental auctions carried out on apples in different European countries, we contribute to the assessment of consumer willingness to pay for the reduction of pesticides. We study several systems of good agricultural practices, possibly signaled to consumers, ranging from public and private Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies to organic production methods. The results suggest a relatively homogeneous behavior of European consumers and we show how improving the information on pesticides reduction could have unexpected consequences. Results also show that sensory characteristics or reference to an origin of production should not be overlooked.