More than 700 other scientists from across European member states and scientific disciplines have deep concern about the recent turn of the political tide against the Sustainable Use of Pesticides Regulation, writes Jeoren Candel.
The green transition is very much about energy and, of course, we need to get rid of oil and coal. However, while future generations deserve a healthier, cleaner, and greener world, they will not get it if we focus only on energy, writes Pernille Weiss.
The new EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides recently told EURACTIV.com that her “priority is to gather more information” on gene editing. To this end, she said, "we will be preparing a study on new genomic techniques, foreseen for spring 2021”. Clearly, the design and set-up of such a study will be crucial to its outcome, writes Nina Holland.
It has been over 12,000 years since the Neolithic Revolution, when our nomadic ancestors began planting roots, quite literally -- trading in their hunter-gatherer lifestyles to cultivate crops. Today we’re facing another revolution in agriculture – one we must tackle together, writes Neal Gutterson.
The recent re-authorisation of glyphosate controversy highlighted the many issues surrounding pesticides, their purpose and our dependency on them, as well as the harm they bring to our health and the environment, writes Natacha Cingotti.
‘Evidence-based policy-making’ constitutes one of the key slogans of the Juncker Commission and the Better Regulation agenda. But reality reveals a wide gap between theory and practice, writes Daniel Guéguen.
On 22 March, EU member states are meeting again to discuss a full ban on the world’s most widely used pesticides, neonicotinoids. It’s a crucial chance to protect our pollinators, children and crops and rethink our whole food system, writes Dave Goulson.
France should show political courage, embrace another vision and stop opposing the renewal of glyphosate’s authorisation in the EU, argues Cécile Philippe.
For glyphosate, the active ingredient in the world’s most widely used weed killer, 6 November will be a date with destiny, writes Pieter Cleppe.
The withdrawal of millions of eggs from the market produced in the Netherlands and Belgium should motivate the EU to shift towards a different model of agriculture, argues Martin Dermine.
Renewing glyphosate’s authorisation is still one of the most controversial issues in the EU. The Monsanto Papers saga continues. André Heitz reveals the story behind the scandal.
At its core, the political battle for transparency about the herbicide glyphosate is actually a battle for independent science and for the transparent and democratic functioning of the EU institutions, write five Greens/EFA MEPs
As safety watchdogs battle over just how toxic and dangerous Monsanto’s controversial weed-killer glyphosate actually is, the even more toxic half-brother from Bayer, glufosinate, is making a timely return, warns Mute Schimpf.
Reducing exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals will benefit healthcare systems and economies as a whole, writes Christian Zahn.
Landowners need crop protection products to feed our growing population. By removing crop protection products from the market, the EU is endangering its own food security, writes Robert de Graeff.
With trust in our institutions ebbing away, people are becoming more likely to accept the provenance of information than they are the accuracy of the facts. Graeme Taylor suggests four ways industry can re-ignite trust in science.
As the world focuses elsewhere, two untested varieties of genetically modified maize are slowly manoeuvring their way through the legislative hoops of the European institutions towards Europe’s fields, writes Mute Schimpf.
In the minds of many, soil is simply dirt, but without it we would all cease to exist. Unlike the water we drink and the air we breathe, soil is not protected in the EU and its quality is getting worse. This has to change, writes Balázs Horváth.
European Commission draft rules to identify and ultimately ban endocrine disrupters are illegal because they clash with existing pesticide and biocide regulations, Alice Bernard writes. The environmental lawyer warned that EU judges could throw out the changes to the long-awaited scientific criteria for the chemicals.
The debate over glyphosate has not been a scientific discussion but an activists’ war against ‘Big Agri’. Glyphosate is scientifically proven to be safe and should be re-authorised, writes André Heitz.
The debate on hormone disruptors in the EU is more political than scientific. A decision to ignore the question of potency would cause needless disruption to regulators, industries and consumers, writes Christopher Borgert.
Regulations that prohibit farmers from protecting their crops are putting our food supply at risk, writes Graeme Taylor.
It is time for the European Commission to stop mucking about and act responsibly on glyphosate. If it grants a temporary extension it must include restrictions that minimise human exposure, writes Franziska Achterberg.
Endocrine disruptors pose a substantial risk to public health, yet the European Commission has dawdled time and again on introducing measures that would finally limit their use. Now is the time to put this right, write Genon Jensen and Michael Warhurst.
