A/HRC/43/53/Add.2 challenges such as higher temperatures, more intense precipitation, other extreme weather events and changing distributions of waterborne pathogens. 56. An analysis of the condition of Norwegian waterbodies found two thirds to be in good condition. The major concerns are agricultural run-off (e.g., fertilizers and pesticides), airborne pollution, urban run-off and sewage. Watershed-based management plans are developed by national, regional and local authorities to improve water quality. The first plans, including all water bodies covered by the European Union Water Framework Directive, were adopted in 2016. E. Healthy and sustainably produced food 57. The nutritional status of people living in Norway is generally good, but obesity is a growing challenge.32 Agriculture only uses 3 per cent of the land, so there is an important national goal of limiting loss of agricultural land to 400 hectares per year. With regard to food waste, a multisectoral agreement appears to be having a positive effect, as food waste dropped by 13 per cent between 2015 and 2017. The goal is to have a 50 per cent reduction in food waste by 2030. 58. Organic production is used on a disappointing 4.7 per cent of agricultural land (including areas in transition to organic production). However, Norway deserves credit for being one of the first countries to establish a tax on pesticides, for low levels of antibiotic use in livestock and for having a national pollinator strategy. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault hosts approximately 1 million seed samples in an extraordinary project intended to conserve global seed diversity and protect food security. F. A non-toxic environment 59. Norway supports the European Union plan to shift towards a circular economy and is preparing a national strategy on this subject for publication in 2020. The current rate of recycling in Norway is only 38 per cent, well short of the European Union target for 2030 of 60 per cent. However, Norway has a very effective recycling policy for beverage cans and plastic bottles, with a regulation requiring drink manufacturers and importers to finance and operate a collection system. A tax per container is levied that decreases as the collection rate rises and is eliminated if at least 95 per cent are collected. In 2018, 87.3 per cent of beverage cans and plastic bottles were collected through this system. Regulations require an increasing percentage of plastic used in beverage containers to be recycled content. There is a modest tax on disposable packaging, which nudges the system towards a circular economy. 60. Norway has been a pioneer in regulating the use of some chemicals, applying the precautionary principle to prohibit potentially hazardous substances. For example, Norway banned the use of decabromodiphenyl ether, also known as deca-BDE, in electrical and electronic equipment in 2006, and in 2008 became the first country in the world to restrict the use of deca-BDE in all manufactured products (at concentrations greater than 0.1 per cent). 33 Similarly, the Pollution Control Authority (now the Norwegian Environment Agency) banned perfluorooctanoic acid in all consumer products beginning in 2013. 34 61. The pesticide tax begins with a basic tax that is multiplied by a factor reflecting health and environmental risks to determine the tax per hectare. The tax per hectare is converted into a tax per unit based on the volume applied. Health risks are determined by factors related to toxicity and exposure, while environmental risks are evaluated by impacts 32 33 34 12 Norway, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, One Year Closer 2018. Norway, Pollution Control Authority, “Ban on Deca-BDE”, information release No. 2401 (2008). Lena Vierke and others, “Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) – main concerns and regulatory development in Europe from an environmental point of view”, Environmental Sciences Europe, vol. 24 (2012).