Concessions to farmers: EC withdraws plan to halve pesticide use

The European Commission has withdrawn a project to halve pesticides, blocked by the European Parliament and the Council, following protests by farmers.

Announcing at a plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg that the ban on the use of pesticides in the EU was lifted, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that she was doing this in response to protests by European farmers. Now European farmers will be able to continue using these fertilizers on their farms, the statement said.

This project was submitted for discussion last summer as part of the “green transition” program. But later it was blocked in both the European Parliament and the Council of the EU by the European agricultural lobby, as “untenable”. The head of the European Commission promised protesting farmers extensive consultations on improving EU agricultural policy.

Something must be done. The European Commission’s proposal on pesticides was blocked by the European Parliament and does not find support in the Council of the EU. Therefore, we have decided to withdraw this project for revision. Farmers must be heard and receive a decent salary. We need a more sustainable model of agriculture. We are launching a broad consultation on the future of the agricultural sector in Europe, where we have invited young farmers, representatives of the agricultural industry, fertilizer producers, environmental organizations and scientists, – said Ursula von der Leyen. According to environmentalists, today many European agricultural lands are depleted. The European Commission has already introduced environmental standards to reduce the area of ​​use of agricultural land. At least 4% of it must be left “fallow” for restoration. However, this directive is not yet being implemented.