Commission pushes out new data in bid to break stalemate on pesticide cuts plan

The European Commission’s impact assessment and update on the EU’s pesticide cuts plan sparked mixed reactions among stakeholders and lawmakers, sparking calls to stop stalling the reform and caveats about consequences for European agriculture.

While the Commission already conducted an impact study ahead of its proposal to slash pesticide use in half by 2030 (SUR) tabled in June last year, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its consequences for global food security necessitated a fresh assessment, EU countries argued.

In December 2022, EU-27 agriculture ministers, therefore, requested that the Commission provide fresh information on whether using significantly fewer pesticides would harm yields and, ultimately, food security.

The extra document was ultimately published on Thursday (6 June) confirming – as anticipated by EURACTIV in a mid-June leak of the study – “that the pesticide goals [set out in the legislative proposal] do not threaten food security,” the Commission said in a statement.

“This conclusion is not changed by the negative shorter-term impacts of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,” it added.

The statement goes on to argue that, on the contrary, “any failure to deliver on the pesticide reduction objective now will have long-term and potentially irreversible effects on our food security in the future.”

On the same day, the EU executive published an annual update on trends in the use and risk of chemical pesticides stressing that EU countries have already made significant progress in terms of pesticide reduction.

Compared to the period from 2015 to 2017, which is also set as the baseline for the 2030 reduction target, the use of chemical pesticides in the EU already fell by a third by 2021, according to new data also published on Thursday by the Commission.

Less progress was made towards the 50% reduction target specifically for particularly hazardous pesticides which is also part of the SUR proposal. Here, use across the EU had shrunk by 21% compared to the 2015 to 2017 period.

LEAK: Commission dismissive of food security fears in new pesticide study

The EU plan to cut pesticide use and risk in half by 2030 will have its largest impact on crops having ‘little or no impact on food security’, the European Commission predicted in its additional impact assessment requested by EU ministers.

Mixed reactions

The member states’ move to request an additional impact study was initially slammed by Green lawmakers and campaigners as a tactical manoeuvre meant to stall the negotiations on the proposal and possibly avoid it being adopted before the EU elections next year.

Now that the Commission has fulfilled the request and tabled its response, Green lawmakers called for swift progress in the negotiations.

Since the data “shows in cold print that pesticide reduction is not a risk for food security”, there is “no reason for the Christian Democrats [the EPP group] and the member states to block progress on the SUR”, Green MEP Sarah Wiener, who leads the European Parliament’s work on the file, said in a statement.

“[The Greens] call on the Spanish Presidency and all political groups in the EU Parliament to negotiate constructively and get the new rules for less pesticide use on track before next year’s European elections,” she added.

On the other hand, agricultural think tank FarmEurope was disappointed by the additional impact assessment, claiming that the Commission did not present any new studies or carry out any additional quantitative analysis.

In a note, the think tank finds ‘the most puzzling statement’ in the acknowledgement that there will be a drop in productivity, but mainly related to products such as grapes, tomatoes, and hops that do not impact food security.

“According to the Commission, if there is a loss of income, farmers will be able to cover the costs with CAP [Common Agricultural Policy] support (again!). These statements are very disrespectful to the agricultural sector which for years has been asked to be both more market-oriented and more environmentally sustainable,” the think tank continued.

Commission turns down petition for more pesticide cuts, sticks to its plans

The European Commission has ruled out tweaking its reform of the EU’s plant protection products framework after a citizens’ initiative demanded more ambitious targets in curbing synthetic pesticide use.

Alternatives ready by 2030?

The aspect of available alternatives to conventional pesticides for farmers – which is key to achieving reduction targets – was also touched on in the study.

The EU executive confirmed that “if appropriate measures are taken by industry, by Member State authorities and by the Commission, it currently appears that sufficient tools will be available within the timeframe of the 2030 SUR pesticide reduction targets”

Asked by EURACTIV at a recent event about this specific timeframe, deputy director general of the Commission’s food safety service (DG SANTE) Claire Bury said that “it will depend on what’s going on in research and development.”

“We’re trying to accelerate that. I think it’s very difficult to put an exact timeframe. But I think a lot will be happening within the next five to seven years,” she continued.

According to Bury, the Commission is being realistic in terms of what is out there in a bid to encourage both the availability of the alternatives and the takeoff of the alternatives’ performance.

Contacted by EURACTIV, a spokesperson for CropLife representing the EU’s crop protection industry, said that “farmers’ toolboxes need to be replenished”.

“We need to ensure adequate alternatives be it pesticides or biopesticides are available before removing solutions,” they said, adding that this is even more vital with the increasing challenges of food security.

For Jennifer Lewis, executive director at the International Biocontrol Industry Association (IBMA), the new pesticide framework “is essential to unlock the potential of alternatives” such as biocontrol.

“This additional study from the Commission paves the way for constructive discussions in the European Parliament and Council to improve farmers’ access to biocontrol which is essential for IPM and resilient food system,” she concluded.

Plant protection toolbox enriched through cutting-edge technologies

A range of new technologies from artificial intelligence to RNA-based innovations could be key to significantly reducing the amount of chemical pesticides used as well as conceiving new crop protection products.

[Edited by Nathalie Weatherald]

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