PAN Europe (Pesticide Action Network), an organisation that campaigns for the sustainable use of pesticides, recalled on 17 March that it is calling for a drastic reduction in the use of pesticides in the EU, in particular to protect biodiversity and thus meet the requirements of the European Green Deal.
As the consultation on the roadmap for the strategy ends on 20 March, the NGO said: “There is no mention of a mandatory reduction target in this roadmap. We call for an 80% reduction by 2030 with more ambition for the strengthening of agro-ecological practices”.
Similarly, in the context of the consultation on the roadmap for the future EU biodiversity strategy for 2030 (see EUROPE 12446/9), the NGO believes that the Commission should seriously consider the problems identified and the actions proposed in order to also include the agricultural sector and the need to phase out its dependence on chemicals.
PAN Europe calls on the Commission to include “a specific reference to our intensive European model of farming” and to the European Citizens’ Initiative ‘Save Bees and Farmers’, since “dropping agrochemicals and restoring habitats is of major importance to counter the collapse of biodiversity”.
Both strategies are due to be presented by the Commission on 29 April (see other news). For the NGO's contribution: http://bit.ly/2vzCnZ5 (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)