"Joint Statement: The EU must make pesticide reduction a reality", 23 February 2024

We, the undersigned 125 organisations, condemn the failure of the European Parliament, Council and Commission to deliver on a crucial element of the Green Deal: pesticide reduction. On February 6th 2024 the European Commission announced it would withdraw its proposal for the Sustainable Use Regulation (SUR), delaying by years urgently needed action to reduce the use and risks of synthetic pesticides in Europe.

By failing to adopt an ambitious pesticide reduction law, the EU institutions betray more than a million citizens across Europe who expressed the pressing need to reduce pesticides, and to support farmers in doing so, through the ECI Save Bees and Farmers. Their demands deserve an answer, the next generations as well. Instead, what citizens have received is increased health and environmental risks and no commitment to sustainability, thus undermining the credibility of EU institutions. [...]

The farmers' mobilisations taking place across Europe require answers that address the root causes of their low income and lack of prospects. Backtracking on environmental ambition is not the solution. On the contrary: if the climate and biodiversity crisis are not addressed, the challenges faced by farmers will only worsen. [...]

Instead of embracing profit-guided tools promoted by the agroindustry, like pesticides and genetically modified organisms, EU policies must focus on supporting farmers in shifting towards environmentally and socially sustainable agricultural models, such as organic and agroecological farming. [...]

We call on the European Commission to keep the focus on the real issues faced by farmers, including fair incomes, while accelerating the transition towards resilient food systems not dependent on synthetic pesticides, and ensuring access to safe and nutritious food for all. An ambitious regulation at the European level for reducing pesticide use, aligned with the Farm to Fork objectives and the post-2020 Global Biodiversity targets, is urgently needed to make this transition possible, and must remain a priority of the next EU mandate.