Kyriakidou: End of time for pesticides

H Commission approved proposals for the restoration of damaged ecosystems and the return of nature to Europe, from agricultural land and seas, to forests and urban environments. The Commission also proposes reduction of use and the risk of chemicals pesticides by 50% until 2030.

The Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakidou he mentioned that “It’s time to change the way we use pesticides in the EU. It is about the health of our citizens and our planet. Through this proposal, we meet the expectations of our citizens and our commitments to the ‘Farm to Dish’ strategy to build a more sustainable and healthy food production system. We must reduce the use of chemical pesticides to protect our soil, air and food and ultimately the health of our citizens. “.

“For the first time, we will ban the use of pesticides in public gardens and playgrounds, ensuring that we are all much less exposed to our daily lives. The common agricultural policy will financially support farmers to cover all the costs of the new rules for a period of 5 years. Not one will be left behind “he added.

In particular, the Commission proposes clear and binding rules:

• Legally binding targets at EU and national level to reduce by 50% the use and risk of chemical pesticides and the use of the most dangerous pesticides by 2030. Member States will set their own national reduction targets within specified parameters to ensure that the EU objectives are being achieved.
• Strict new rules for environmentally friendly pest control: New measures will ensure that all farmers and other professional pesticide users apply Integrated Pest Management, which first examines alternative environmental pest prevention and control methods before using them. chemical pesticides as a last resort.
• The measures also include mandatory record keeping for farmers and other professional users. In addition, Member States should establish rules for specific crops by identifying alternatives that can be used instead of chemical pesticides.
• Prohibition of all pesticides in sensitive areas. The use of all pesticides will be prohibited in places such as urban green areas, including public parks or gardens, playgrounds, schools, recreation or sports areas, public trails and protected areas according to Natura 2000, but also in any ecologically sensitive area to be maintained for threatened pollinators.

The proposal translates the current directive into a regulation that will be immediately applicable in all Member States. Member States should submit detailed annual progress and implementation reports to the Commission.

The Executive Vice President for the European Green Pact, Frans Timmermans, noted that “Reducing the use of pesticides helps nature recover and protects people who work with these chemicals.” while the Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginia Sinkevitsi, emphasized that “Europeans are clear: they want the EU to act in favor of nature and bring it back to life”.

Transition support

Basic policy package will support farmers and other users by moving to more sustainable food production systems, including:

• new rules of the common agricultural policy to ensure that farmers are reimbursed for any costs associated with the implementation of the new rules for a transitional period of 5 years,
• stronger action to increase the range of biological and low-risk alternatives on the market,
• research and development under EU Horizon programs to support new technologies and techniques.

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