The European Commission adopted, on Wednesday 22 June, its proposal for legally binding EU-level targets to reduce the use and risk of chemical pesticides and the use of the most hazardous pesticides by 50% by 2030.
As expected, Member States will have to set their own reduction targets within clearly defined parameters and their own strategies to ensure the collective achievement of the EU target (see EUROPE 12975/10).
There is also a ban on the use of all pesticides in sensitive areas (and within a 3-metre radius of these areas), such as public parks or gardens, playgrounds, recreation or sports grounds, public paths, as well as environmentally sensitive areas.
“On pesticides, we are taking a big step forward”, said Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal. “By 2030, half of chemical pesticides should be replaced by alternatives, by practices such as crop rotation and by technologies such as precision farming. The longer we wait, the more expensive and difficult it will be”, he said.
Country targets. The proposed new rules stipulate that Member States adopt binding targets to help meet the EU’s overall target of a 50% reduction in pesticide use. When setting these national targets, Member States have the flexibility to take into account their national situation, including historical progress and the intensity of pesticide use. This must be done within the parameters of a legally defined mathematical formula. However, the national target can in no case be lower than 35% in order to ensure that all Member States reduce pesticide use. After reviewing the Member State targets, the Commission may recommend Member States to establish more ambitious targets in certain cases. The Commission can also take further measures in case the national targets are deemed insufficient to reach the 50% reduction collectively at EU level by 2030. Each year, the Commission will publish trends towards meeting the EU’s 2030 reduction targets.
The use and risk of chemical pesticides will be measured on a yearly basis using data on the sales of plant protection products (PPPs) reported by Members States to the Commission.
The baseline for the calculation of the 50% reduction will be the average of sales of 2015, 2016 and 2017. All active substances placed on the market in the form of PPPs are allocated to one of four groups and a weighting allocated to each of the groups - higher weightings are given to more hazardous groups.
The weightings are intended to encourage the use of PPPs containing low-risk active substances (many of which are non-chemical substances) and to discourage the use of PPPs containing more hazardous substances (in particular, non-approved substances used via time-limited nationally approved emergency authorisations).
Will food prices rise? According to the Commission, food production systems must reduce their negative impact on climate change and biodiversity loss. “The costs of inaction are far greater than the costs of transitioning to sustainable food systems”, it says.
As the Commission’s proposal will not enter into force immediately, there will be no impact on prices, farmers or other users over the next 2 years.
The use of new technologies such as pest resistant crop varieties, support measures and mitigation actions will also help to reduce costs and ensure a more sustainable and efficient agricultural model. This can offset any additional costs and prevent food price increases. Moreover, the changes introduced by the new rules will be gradual, minimising any negative impact on food production and prices, the Commission argues.
International approach. The Commission will soon propose, for the first time ever, a measure following its commitment to take global environmental considerations into account when setting maximum residue levels in food. Imported foodstuffs containing measurable residues of prohibited substances should not be marketed in the EU in the long term. This will help contribute to a virtuous circle and encourage third countries to also limit or ban the use of these pesticides, which are already banned in the EU.
CAP support. The new rules will allow Member States to financially support agricultural practices that require sustainable use of pesticides through the CAP strategic plans.
Some €261 billion have been earmarked in the CAP’s strategic plans for the period 2023-2027, part of which will be used to support sustainable agricultural practices that benefit the environment.
Under the new CAP, Member States may use: - eco-regimes (planned allocation of at least €48.5 billion for the period 2023-2027); - interventions in rural development and environment and climate management (planned allocation of at least €21.1 billion for the period 2023-2027).
The new CAP can also finance investments in mechanical equipment and risk management tools and it can provide support for technical knowledge building, such as training and knowledge exchange.
“The financial framework of the CAP is already established and all new objectives need new funds. The CAP is not a cash cow that has to respond to all the new EU policies”, commented the MEP, Anne Sander (EPP, France).
Link to the proposal: https://aeur.eu/f/292 (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)