Over the past twenty years, the use of chemical agents in global agriculture has nearly doubled. This emerges from the new Pesticide Atlas 2022 by the German Heinrich Böll Foundation.
In EU countries, new laws have so far not led to a reduction in use, despite scientific evidence, said Imme Scholz, chair of the Heinrich Böll Foundation. However, she described the “farm-to-fork” strategy as a good start.
EU member states are currently negotiating new rules for pesticide use. In June, the European Commission presented proposals for habitat restoration, biodiversity, and halving pesticide use within eight years.
The largest Christian-democratic EPP group in the European Parliament recently announced it wants to cancel or postpone those plans. According to them, the Russian war in Ukraine has created a new global food situation. Earlier this year, the EPP, supported by conservative, nationalist, and far-right groups, already succeeded in postponing two elements of the Common Agricultural Policy for two years.
According to the pesticide atlas, worldwide use leads to an increase in poisonings, especially in countries where farmers are often insufficiently protected. Moreover, the use is detrimental to biodiversity, it is argued. Conventional agriculture has five times lower biodiversity compared to organic fields.
The pesticides do not remain limited to the treated agricultural land: they seep into the soil and groundwater, blow away, or enter waterways.
By next year, the total value of all pesticides used will amount to nearly 130.7 billion dollars. The European Union is one of the world’s largest markets, accounting for almost a quarter of all pesticides sold.