The EU government is not going to put a controversial plan to chop the consumption of pesticides on the desk, informed the agricultural commissioner Christophe Hansen to Euronews, closing a key chapter of the Green settlement.
The aim of halving using pesticides within the EU by 2030 was as soon as a milestone from the European inexperienced settlement. But now, that focus on has been set out indefinitely.
In an interview with Euronews, the agricultural commissioner Christophe Hansen confirmed that the relaunch of the plan is not on the agenda of the UU.
“It hasn’t labored, and now now we have no progress. That construction exterior the desk is out of the desk,” stated Hansen.
The now deceased sustainable use of the regulation of pesticides (sur) aimed not solely to scale back using pesticides, but additionally to ban these merchandise in delicate areas – equivalent to city inexperienced areas and nature websites 2000 – whereas selling extra options secure.
Initially proposed in June 2022, the reform was retired A 12 months later because of the rising opposition by the correct components and protests of widespread farmers.
At the time, the President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen insisted that the regulation of pesticides would stay a precedence and might be reintroduced with a “way more mature” proposal.
However, with the strategy of the elections of the European Parliament, any new draft was rejected to the present fee that got here into workplace final December. “Of course, the subject stays and to go on, extra dialogues and a special strategy are wanted,” stated Von der Leyen to Meps in February 2024.
But Hansen clarified that any future initiatives will deal with business facets equivalent to reciprocity, for instance by forcing meals imports to fulfill EU pesticides requirements – and innovation fairly than obligatory targets for the discount of pesticides.
He indicated the following Biotech Act, which goals to speed up the event of safer options to traditional pesticides.
“We should improve our efforts to acquire these options that aren’t poisonous to the surroundings and human well being,” he stated.
As a part of its wider regulatory simplification package deal, the Commission by the top of the 12 months will suggest measures to speed up the approval of biopestheticides.
This revision – one of many few components of the retired pesticide framework that noticed ample political assist – goals to fill the authorized gaps regarding the appliance and biocondol of air pesticides.
This shift displays the brand new unveiled by the Commission Vision for agriculture and mealswhich supplies precedence to the efficiency of agriculture a extra engaging occupation, particularly for the youthful generations, tightening environmental rules.
This implies that, for now, financial and political concerns are taking priority over earlier inexperienced ambitions.
