EUROPE- The European Parliament has rejected the European Commission’s proposal to reduce the use of pesticides in the European Union, dealing a blow to a key component of the EU Green Deal.
The proposed Sustainable Use of Plant Protection Products Regulation (SUR), which aimed to cut the use of chemical pesticides by half by 2030, faced significant opposition, with 299 votes against and 207 in favor. A total of 121 MEPs abstained from the vote, leaving the proposal in jeopardy.
Sarah Wiener, the Rapporteur MEP, expressed deep disappointment, calling it “a very dark day for the environment and farmers.” The rejection implies that the Commission may need to reconsider and potentially withdraw the proposal.
Advocates for pesticide reduction in EU farming argued that the rejection was a direct result of aggressive lobbying efforts by the agro-industry. Despite initial ambitions of the Commission regulation proposal, it was criticized for being watered down with amendments that removed nationally binding targets and rules for integrated pest management. This perceived dilution of the legislation led MEPs to vote against the proposal.
Madeleine Coste, Advocacy Director at Slow Food, criticized the majority in Parliament for siding with agro-industry interests, stating that the scientific and public consensus on the necessity to phase out pesticides was ignored.
Clara Bourgin, Campaigner at Friends of the Earth Europe, lamented that conservative MEPs delivered a significant blow to the law, setting back efforts to address the biodiversity crisis, ensure long-term food security, and protect public health.
Yoann Coulmont, a campaigner at Générations Futures, noted that the rejected regulation was a crucial element of the EU Green Deal on agriculture, emphasizing the missed opportunity for the transition to more sustainable agrifood systems at the EU-wide level.
In contrast, the EU farming lobby Copa-Cogeca welcomed the rejection, emphasizing the need for solutions through dialogue with farmers and cooperatives rather than imposing disconnected objectives.
Last year, Copa-Cogeca, along with FEFAC (EU feed industry representatives) and other EU food and farming organizations, sent a joint open letter to the Commission warning about the negative impact of the proposed regulation on the EU agricultural value chain.
External factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and climate change were cited as challenges affecting critical inputs like fertilizers, energy, and feed.
The organizations stressed the importance of considering the consequences and downsides of reduction targets for plant protection products (PPPs) and called for providing alternatives before withdrawing chemical solutions. They advocated for collaboration, innovative solutions, and access to a variety of tools to ensure crop protection, food security, and safety.
The rejection of the pesticide reduction proposal not only reflects the complex challenges faced by policymakers in balancing environmental concerns and economic realities but also raises questions about the future trajectory of the EU’s Green Deal initiatives.
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