Today, the European Parliament failed to reach a consensus on the regulation of sustainable use of plant protection products (SUR) after months of negotiations. Furthermore, a request to return the proposal to the Environment Committee was also declined. As a result, the trilogue negotiations cannot commence, leading to the absence of pesticide regulation.
The EU lawmakers rejected a plan that proposed a 50% reduction in chemical pesticides by 2030 and a complete ban on pesticide usage in public parks, playgrounds, and schools. This decision is a significant setback for the European Green Deal.
The European Commission proposed a regulation on June 22, 2022, as part of the European Green Deal, which aims to reduce the environmental impact of the EU’s food system. This regulation concerns the sustainable use of plant protection products. The Commission believes that the current rules that limit pesticide use are inconsistent across the EU and need to be stronger.
However, the Parliament rejected the EU’s executive Commission proposal in a 299 to 207 vote, with 121 abstentions, after a series of amendments had watered it down. This decision effectively means that the Commission’s proposal has been rejected in its first reading. The Council will now have to decide on its position regarding the proposal, which will determine whether it is refused or returned to Parliament for a second reading. This vote took place less than a week after the use of the controversial chemical herbicide glyphosate was extended for 10 more years of use in the 27-nation bloc.
“This is a black day for the environment, our health, but also for the future of agriculture. Driven by the strong lobbies of the agricultural and pesticide industries, the conservative and right-wing members of the European Parliament have succeeded in weakening the pesticide regulation in almost all points,” commented the rapporteur Sarah Wiener (Greens/Austria). “To put it bluntly, the majority of MEPs put the profits of big agri over the health of our children and the planet,” she added.
COPA-COGECA, the EU’s leading agricultural group for farmers and cooperatives, welcomed the bill’s rejection. They also called for improved dialogue with the bloc’s institutions.
“EU farmers and agri-cooperatives will continue to improve their environmental sustainability, but they need realistic objectives and the necessary support, two elements that are completely missing from the Commission’s text. Copa and Cogeca have consistently denounced the gap between political rhetoric and the lack of concrete solutions of this proposal,” says a COPA-COGECA press release.
