The European Commission is sticking to the Green Deal plans to halve the use of chemical pesticides within eight years. There will be no ban, but a subsidy scheme will be introduced to help farmers shift from fewer chemicals to more organic farming.
The European Commission is introducing ‘an extensive toolbox’ that will become part of the European Common Agricultural Policy. A new nature restoration law aims to end the deterioration of water and green areas.
In public spaces such as parks, nature reserves, and sports fields, there will be a total ban on the use of pesticides. Additionally, each EU country will have restoration obligations. This concerns not the creation of new nature areas, but the rehabilitation of existing green and water-rich places.
This was announced in Brussels by Commissioners Timmermans (Climate), Sinkevicius (Environment), and Kyriakides (Food & Health). “We will replace chemical pesticides with safe alternatives,” said Commissioner Kyriakides.
“Farmers will be supported over the next five years with unprecedented EU funding to cover the costs of the transition.” Approximately 100 billion euros will be available in the EU budget for nature restoration until 2027.
Halving the amount of pesticides by 2030 is a goal for the entire EU. EU countries will contribute 35 to 65 percent towards this, depending on their own situations. For the Netherlands, this amounts to 50 percent less pesticide use. EU countries must report on this annually to Brussels.
The implementation rules for farm-to-fork and the Green Deal were originally to be announced last March but were ‘removed from the agenda’ due to the outbreak of Russia’s war in Ukraine and the possible consequences for the global food situation. Critics argue that reducing pesticide use will lead to smaller harvests and lower income for farmers.
Therefore, the Commission is also announcing a comprehensive study into the ‘drivers’ of food production and distribution. According to EU Commissioner Timmermans, there is no food shortage, but an oversupply, with twenty percent wasted daily. He says ‘more of the same is not the solution.’
Moreover, recent debates and opinion polls involving thousands of EU citizens in so-called Future Conferences show that over three-quarters believe farming should become ‘more nature-friendly.’
The newly launched proposal must first be approved by the European Parliament and EU countries before it comes into effect and may still be amended or weakened during trilogue negotiations.